Transitions Too
by FLUFF-N-UTTER-1
Summary: The team is desperately trying to rescue Abby, Connor and Danny from whenever they have gone. (AU) Claudia's world. 3.11 A/N return of some characters from previous story Transitions, and introduces some characters from season 4/5.
1. Not Where, When

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Not Where, When

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

James Lester shouted. He didn't normally shout, it was rude after all, and generally a sign that negotiations had broken down, but the people assembled in front of him were definitely not agreeing on anything.

"Quiet!" Lester shouted. He glared in frustration at the disparate groups of people arguing in the ARCs main control room.

Becker, with his shoulder, arm and chest wrapped in bandages was standing to the right of Lester. He was next to the anomaly detection device. Becker's stance seemed similar to the parade rest position he usually took when awaiting orders, but was just off kilter enough to look uncomfortable. The soldier's left arm remained in a sling and his right hand dangled by his side, unable to clasp his left hand behind his back as he normally would. Sarah was beside Becker, spinning Connor's vacant chair in a slow circle.

"We need to go back to the racetrack anomaly," Becker repeated fiercely. "The only way we are going to find Abby, Connor and Danny is to follow them."

"No," objected Cutter emphatically. The Scot was leaning, half sitting really, on the nearby desk directly in front of Lester. Claudia was sitting in the chair beside him, hands folded on her abdomen, feet propped up on an overturned wastebasket. Behind Claudia the tall, slim figure of Lester's wife Vivian stood watching everyone.

"Nobody goes back," continued Cutter. "You saw Ryan…"

"I saw my own men torn to pieces in front of me," interrupted Becker bitterly "I know how dangerous it is. We can't leave them..."

"For all you know," said Cutter bleakly "Abby, Connor and Danny are already dead… torn apart like your men."

"No," denied Becker firmly. "Hendriks was carrying the hand held detector when we entered the anomaly site… it registered two anomalies before we were attacked. The anomalies opened and closed one right after the other… one anomaly could be either Helen or them, but two..."

"Really," interjected Lester with a quiet sigh, "it would be nice if the people who worked for me listened to me when I spoke."

Shouting hadn't worked, but his quiet tired words got five of the six people before him to stare at him silently.

The sixth person, standing to Lester's left, spoke. "I don't work for you," Jamal reminded him. "I work for the British Museum."

"I don't work for you either James," added Vivian with a faint smirk. "And Claudia works for me."

"We are all going to have to work together," replied Lester "if we want to find out where Abby, Connor and Danny have gone."

"Lester," said Cutter, his Scottish brogue somber, "you're not asking the right question. It's not where are they… it's when are they?"

Cutter turned to look directly at Vivian.

"What exactly is your role in the ARC?" he asked suspiciously.

"Really Cutter," answered Lester sharply, "my wife's security clearance is higher than yours… beyond that, you don't need to know anything."

"I need to know if I can trust her," said Cutter bluntly.

Lester opened his mouth to say something, but shut it again at Vivian's look. The woman stepped forward, stilettos clicking on the tile floor. She looked at Cutter curiously.

"Why don't you trust me?" she asked.

"You're the one that had a filter put on the detector," he said suspiciously. "Why?"

"To separate the creature incursions," she answered "from the human incursions. Our group handles the more dangerous incursions."

"More dangerous!?" exclaimed Sarah questioningly.

"Yes," replied Vivian. Sounding oddly like Abby, she continued. "Creatures… most of them just want to go home. The carnivores… want to eat you and then go home. People that come through… some are lost. Like creatures, they just want to go home. Some though… have plans."

"What kind of plans?" asked Cutter.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny trudged back through the rugged terrain of the Great Rift Valley.

He really didn't want to see the bodies of the poisoned Australopithecus that Helen had murdered again, but he figured if he was going to be stuck in the Pliocene for any length of time, he should check her body and backpack for supplies. Danny hadn't done that earlier in his haste to return to Connor and Abby, but the anomaly closing, separating him from his friends, changed all that. Danny tried to convince himself that he wasn't being a grave robber, just being practical.

Cresting the low hill, he looked down on the river bank. The bodies of the early humans were still lying where they had fallen. The raptors body was near the base of the cliff. There was just one difference.

Helen's body was gone.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby grunted a little as Connor leaned on her. He was heavier than he looked.

"Are you all right?" Connor asked balancing between her and the staff he carried.

"Yeah,' she replied. "Now let's go find Danny and go home."

"You make it sound so easy," he teased as they set off.

"Piece of cake," she replied with a throaty chuckle. Abby wasn't about to let Connor know how really worried she was.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor was babbling again. He was telling Abby every detail he could remember about the Cretaceous era. They had been following Danny's trail for about an hour now, and every step Connor took was agony. He was partially talking to distract himself from the pain. But a part of his brain was worrying… and just in case... if anything were to happen to Connor, he wanted Abby to know as many details of this era as possible. Knowledge could make the difference between survival or not.

"The world is warmer now," Connor said "than the time we live in. The first mammals are starting about now, and flowering plants are beginning, there should be bulbs we can eat…"

"Connor," Abby replied "shut up."

For a moment, the words she used brought a surge of hope to him. Was she going to kiss him again? But then he realized that she was crouching lower, staring at something in the distance.

"Ssshh."

"What is it?" Connor asked as he crouched beside her.

"Don't know yet," she whispered "just don't want it to find us."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	2. Plans

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Plans

"_What kind of plans?"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Vivian looked at Cutter speculatively. She narrowed her eyes.

"All kinds of plans," she replied slowly. "You say you need to know if you can trust me… it works both ways… I need to know if I can trust you too."

Cutter stiffened. Beside him, Claudia reached out to take his hand in hers.

"Nick," she said quietly "let's just listen to what she has to say."

"Abby, Connor and Danny are missing," said Vivian "because they followed Helen. Helen is planning to change the world… in as many timelines as she can."

"Helen's mad," barked Cutter.

"Ahh," sighed Lester "common ground at last. I think we all agree on that."

Vivian glanced at her husband. Her eyes met his for a brief moment, before she returned her gaze to Cutter.

"You were married to her once…" said Vivian "in my view, that makes your judgment… shall we just say… questionable."

Claudia's indrawn breath was audible in the sudden silence.

"Everybody makes mistakes," responded the Professor. "Helen was my mistake."

Cutter removed his hand from Claudia's grasp. He moved from sitting on the desktop to sit on the arm of Claudia's chair. The professor reached around his wife's shoulders to draw her in close to his body. "As you can see," Cutter continued "I learn from my mistakes."

Vivian nodded, but before she could say anything, Sarah spoke up.

"You said timelines," Sarah asked "plural… what do you mean by that?"

It was Claudia who answered her question. "Some of the people we rescue," Claudia said quietly "are from different histories."

"You mean eras," asked Sarah "right?"

"No," replied Claudia. "I mean histories."

At Sarah's puzzled look, Claudia continued. "Last week, we had an insufferable little man who came through an anomaly… Sir George he called himself. He was only a few days out of time, but in his world the American Revolution never happened… he was from the British province of New England. He had coins in his pocket showing the likeness of Queen Victoria III."

At Claudia's words, there was a collective gasp from everyone except James and Vivian Lester.

Becker stepped forward. "My job is to protect the team," he said angrily, glaring at Lester. "Being fully informed…"

"Probably wouldn't have made a difference," interrupted Vivian "Abby, Connor and Danny have gone through the racetrack anomaly in at least twelve known timelines."

Nick released his comforting hold on Claudia and straightened up, obviously surprised.

"You've mapped twelve different timelines," exclaimed the Professor incredulously. "How did you map the racetrack anomaly? It's one of two known anomaly sites that appear unable to be mapped."

"Mapped?" asked Vivian, sounding puzzled. "What do you mean? There's no such thing as an anomaly map."

Becker turned his head from Lester, to Cutter, finally settling his gaze on the tall, slender woman.

"You knew?" Becker asked accusingly. "You knew Abby, Connor and Danny were going to get stuck… somewhere… somewhen?"

"Abby and Connor will be back in three days," answered Vivian. "There's an anomaly opening in Hyde Park…"

Cutter started at her words. The second anomaly prediction was due… in three days… at Hyde Park.

"What about Danny?" asked Sarah worriedly, interrupting Lester's wife.

Vivian looked at the doctor of archeology sadly. "Danny was lost in time," she said softly.

"No," Sarah gasped. "We've got to find him too!"

"We will find Danny," assured Cutter "we'll map the anomaly and track when he's gone."

"You can't!" cried Vivian raising her open hands beside her face and shaking them in exasperation. "There is no such thing as an anomaly map!"

"We've been working on the map for months," roared the Professor. "we successfully made one prediction before, and have two others…"

Jamal hadn't said anything yet. He had been watching the two argue. Jamal looked from Lester's wife back to the Professor staring at each other curiously.

"If there's no such thing as an anomaly map," asked Jamal quietly "then how do you know that Abby, Connor and Danny have gone through the racetrack anomaly in at least twelve known timelines?"

Everyone stopped talking. They looked first at Jamal, then turned to look at Mrs. Lester. Vivian lowered her hands. For a moment, she looked like a sad, tired little girl. Then she straightened up and spoke firmly.

"I can't tell you," she began.

"Oh what rot is that!" exclaimed Becker. "People's lives are at stake!"

"More than you know," agreed Vivian.

"It sounds as if you are from a different timeline," Jamal said slowly, as he watched the woman.

The Professor nodded in agreement with the museum curator. He narrowed his eyes as he faced Lester's wife.

"When are you from?" Cutter asked, "And what are you planning?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny followed the trail leading away from where Helen's body had been. He stepped cautiously along the narrow path as he rounded the hill. He could hear the thud of rocks being piled one upon the other. Danny peered around the side of the cliff base.

There, beneath a broad leafed tree, Danny saw a blonde haired man kneeling on the ground beside the body of Helen Cutter. The man was carefully stacking rocks on either side of the corpse. Beyond the kneeling man, Danny could see another man with dark brown hair bringing more rocks.

"Whoever you are," called the kneeling man "come out where I can see you."

Danny gasped. He recognized that brogue. Danny stared at the man as he moved forward into the open. The man appeared to be in his early thirties. His face was streaked with sweat and dirt.

"Cutter?" Danny asked.

"Yes," replied the blonde haired man. He stood up and turned to face Danny. He wiped a sleeve across his forehead. The younger man eyed Danny curiously.

"Do I know you?" asked young Nick Cutter.

"I've met you," replied Danny jokingly "but you might not remember me… I've got that kind of face."

The clatter of rocks falling beside Helen's cairn announced the arrival of the second man. The young brown haired man appeared to be in his early twenties in Danny's opinion.

"Who are you?" asked the younger man, "and where did you come from?"

"Detective Constable Quinn," replied Danny officiously. "And who are you?"

The young man flashed a dazzling smile and held out his hand. "Stephen," he replied "I'm Stephen Hart, Professor Cutter's lab assistant."

"What are you two doing here?" asked Danny.

The young professor pointed at the cairn.

"My wife, Stephen and I," young Cutter said "were travelling through time. Exploring really. We got separated. It was yesterday for Stephen and myself… from the looks of things it might have been longer for Helen."

"That might not be who you think it is," said Danny slowly.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby grinned. "It looks like a family of dracorex," she said. Releasing her hold on Connor's waist, she pointed to a nearby creature contentedly demolishing a small bush. "Definitely herbivores."

Connor grinned. "Not likely to eat us," agreed Connor. Then his face fell.

"What?" asked Abby.

"Their footprints," he answered, pointing to the ground, "we're going to lose Danny's trail."

"We'll just have to hurry through to the other side," said Abby as she began to push her way forward into the clearing. "Come on now."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The herd of dracorex didn't seem concerned when Abby and Connor approached them. The animals kept munching the surrounding vegetation, as the humans began to move cautiously between the creatures.

"Don't make eye contact," hissed Abby.

"Right," grunted Connor.

He leaned heavily on his stick and stepped carefully behind Abby, matching each step she took. They were in the middle of the herd of dracorex when the nearest creature lifted its head and made a trilling noise. One after the other, the herd members raised their heads too. They appeared to be looking from side to side. Something was obviously bothering them.

"Hurry," urged Abby "we need to get to the tree line. We don't want to be in the open if they get spooked and start to run."

"Yeah," replied Connor shortly. "You go on ahead. I'll catch up with you."

Abby took two steps forward and then stopped. She turned around to look at Connor. He was leaning on the stick, his jaw clenched shut. A bead of sweat was rolling down the side of his face.

"You can't run," she said.

"Go on Abby," said Connor.

"No."

His brown eyes met her blue ones. "I'll be right behind you," he promised "just get moving."

"No," she said. "I won't leave you."

"Abby…"

A roar filled the air, panicking the herd creatures.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	3. Time and Again

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Time and Again

"_That might not be who you think it is__."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

James Lester sighed. The door shut as Becker slammed out of the ARC, following Claudia, Cutter, Sarah and Jamal. He turned to look at his wife. Vivian was still standing next to the anomaly detection device. Her head was down, she was staring at Connor's empty chair.

"Vivian," Lester said quietly "it would appear that we've got a serious breakdown in communications."

"I know," the slender woman replied. She looked up at him, her brown eyes dark and sorrowful. "They didn't believe me."

"That's not what I meant," responded Lester. "We need to talk… you and I… we need to figure out why your history is not the same as our present."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter waited until Claudia buckled the seatbelt around her swollen stomach before he floored the accelerator and pulled out of the car park onto the main road.

"Nick," Claudia exclaimed as she reached for the dashboard. "Slow down. You don't want me going into labor now!"

"The nerve of Lester's wife!" replied the Professor, his teeth clenched as he huffed angrily. "To say that Helen had killed me and that you never existed."

"She's got a name Nick," reminded Claudia calmly "And Vivian had a point."

"What point?" asked Cutter tersely.

"Helen did try to kill you. In Vivian's timeline, Helen might have succeeded. And that part about me not existing… it would explain Helen's questions about that person… who was it? Jenny somebody… you remember back at Leek's compound."

Cutter stopped the car at the traffic light and turned to look at his wife. "Yeah," he replied quietly "I do remember Helen talking about someone named Jenny."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Sarah watched Cutter and Claudia peel out of the parking lot. She was still fumbling in her purse for her keys and they were already gone. Sarah felt a presence near. She looked up to find Jamal standing in front of her. He was looking at her intently, staring actually. The streetlamp made his shadow stretch out long behind him.

"Oh… Jamal," Sarah said. She felt somewhat flustered. "Hello, didn't expect to see you today."

Jamal was still staring at her. "I mean," Sarah continued "it's good to see you… but…"

"You didn't answer any of my calls."

"What?" asked Sarah in surprise. "What calls?"

"For months, I've been calling. I left messages every time," answered Jamal, still staring at her. "Hundreds of messages…"

"Since you broke up with me," replied Sarah "I haven't received any messages."

"I shouldn't have said the things I said," responded Jamal "I was wrong. I should have believed you..."

Sarah remembered their last argument. Jamal had thought she was seeing someone who smoked… the news reports hadn't carried any news about an explosion in London, and he hadn't believed anything she said.

"I was scared."

Sarah realized Jamal was still talking.

"Of what?"

"I was scared of losing you," said Jamal simply. Tears glistened in his eyes. "And then I did lose you."

Sarah reached her hand out towards Jamal. He clasped her hand between his hands. A smile started across his face.

"Jamal," asked Sarah "what number did you try calling?"

"What?" he replied "Your number, of course."

"It's just," she shrugged a little as she tried to explain, tried to retrieve her hand, "I had a new plan, then lost the phone… I've had a new number for quite some time now."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker heard the door slam behind him. He stopped on the sidewalk and took a deep breath, and then another. Lester's wife wasn't responsible for Abby, Connor and Danny being missing. And she wasn't responsible for Hendriks and Stephenson being dead. He glanced up as the Cutter's car pulled quickly out of the parking lot.

In the distance, Becker saw Sarah standing beneath the streetlamp, beside her parked car. The man from the British Museum was talking to her intently. Becker watched for a moment, then walked towards the pair.

Sarah was pulling her hand back from the man's grasp as Becker approached.

"Sarah," asked Becker "is this man bothering you?"

Jamal glared at Becker.

"No," replied Sarah with a bright smile. "I was just explaining to Jamal how the telephone company usually tells people the current phone number when they try calling an old number."

Becker stepped closer to Sarah. Becker doubted that he could defend anyone with his left arm in a sling, but if this man from the museum was bothering Sarah, Becker would do something.

"Sarah," protested Jamal "the phone company never told me you had a new number."

"Shame," said Sarah as she inserted her key into the car door. "Becker, do you need a ride back to your flat?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny looked at the young Professor and his even younger assistant. They in turn were staring at him. Finally, Cutter spoke.

"I don't know who you are, or what you're doing here," said the Scotsman "but I do know my own wife when I see her, even if she has aged twenty years."

"Well, that's just it," replied Danny "in my time, your wife is a warm and friendly woman named Claudia. That person you just buried was a madwoman out to destroy all humanity."

"What?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby acted instinctively as the creatures started to stampede. She grabbed Connor by the arm and pulled him forward, towards her.

"Ow!" His face was twisted in a grimace of pain and he was wobbling off balance.

"Crouch down," hissed Abby. Patting the large boulder beside her, she added "They don't want to step on us."

"And I don't want to be stepped on," exclaimed Connor as he knelt beside her. He grunted in pain as his knee landed on something hard.

They heard a familiar barking call. Abby turned to Connor, her blue eyes widened in recognition.

"Raptors!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor looked at Abby. The herd was moving quickly, already most of the creatures were past Abby and Connor. There was a clear path from the rock they were crouching against to the trees. The raptors were coming.

"Abby," said Connor "We need to move."

"No, we'll never make it to the trees," replied Abby.

Connor held up the hard glass and metal something he had knelt on. Abby gasped.

"Don't need to get to the trees now," replied Connor with a grin. He began pressing buttons on Helen's anomaly opening device. "We just need to get away."

The air shimmered, fractured and an anomaly opened directly in front of Abby and Connor.

"Right," agreed Abby as she dove through the open anomaly. "Let's go!"

Connor rose up, leaning on his staff, to follow her. He stepped through to the other side of the anomaly, and stopped for a moment, staring. Behind him the barking call of a raptor could be heard nearing the anomaly.

"Connor," cried Abby "lock it."

"Oh, yeah," said Connor.

Turning to face the anomaly, he raised the device up in front of him. At that moment, a creature thrust its head through the opening. The young dracorex appeared almost as startled as Connor.

Connor tried to step back, but lost his balance and fell down, dropping the device. The dracorex stepped all the way through the anomaly. It was quickly followed by two more. The three dracorex ran past Abby in their hurry to escape the oncoming raptors.

"Connor!" screamed Abby.

A raptor was now coming through the anomaly. It snarled and snapped at him. Connor fumbled frantically for the device. His hand reached the metal and beveled glass. He lifted it up and pointed it at the anomaly just as the creature clamped its jaw down on his leg.

"Arrgh!" screamed Connor, dropping the device again.

"No!" screamed Abby. The beast began to pull Connor back towards the anomaly. She rushed forward. Picking up the fallen device, she pointed it the anomaly and pressed some buttons. The shimmering fractured lights swirled and closed. The head, neck and upper torso of the raptor fell to the ground.

Abby rushed to Connor. "Are you all right?"

He groaned and tried to sit up. Poking at the raptor's jaw, he tried to get his leg out of its mouth.

"Let me help," said Abby.

Connor tried to make a joke. "Reminds me of that time at the bowling alley," he said "but I think we got more of the raptor than Stephen did."

"Yeah Conn," agreed Abby. Looking at his bleeding leg, she thought and it got more of you. "Can you stand up?" she asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	4. Signs of Civilization?

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Signs of Civilization?

"_Can you stand up?"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor looked at his leg. Blood was seeping through the fabric of his trousers, dripping slowly onto the flat stones below his leg. Good thing I wore black pants today, thought Connor, the blood won't show so much.

"I'd rather not try standing right this minute," Connor replied quietly, looking up at Abby. "Why don't we just rest here a bit? Later, when the raptors have had time to move on, we can open up the anomaly again and go back to search for Danny."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked at Connor in surprise. "Go back?" she exclaimed loudly, "We need to get you to a hospital first! Then, I'll bring Becker and the soldiers… we'll go back and get Danny."

Connor winced at the sound of her voice. "Abby, sssh" he whispered "there's not likely to be a hospital around here, and we can't leave Danny on his own."

"What do you mean?" asked Abby lowering her voice. She pointed down at the stone roadway beneath them. "This road will take us to people, we'll get help," she hissed "and why are we whispering?"

"This road," said Connor "looks like it was built by the Romans, yeah."

"Yeah," agreed Abby "the Romans built roads all over England, all over Europe for that matter. And roads mean people."

"Yeah," sighed Connor "Roads mean people, but we don't know when we are, and we don't know if the people here will help us."

He raised one arm shakily, and pointed to something behind Abby. She turned her head to look behind her. One small hand flew to cover her mouth. She sank down, sitting on the stones beside Connor.

The head on the stake behind her had obviously been there for a while. The skin was shriveled and drawn tight across the skull. Scraggly brown hair dangled in a tangled mess on either side of what used to be a face. The eye sockets were vacant.

"Do you suppose that was a man," asked Abby "or a woman?"

"Dunno," replied Connor. "Just think I'd rather take my chances with a raptor than with whoever did that."

Abby nodded.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

James Lester looked at his wife. "Vivian," he asked "we need to know everything that's changed."

She looked at her husband, her brown eyes wide. "I've already told you what I know," she replied. Waving her hand in the general direction of the departed team, she continued "They didn't believe me."

Lester stepped closer, wrapped his arms around the tall, slender woman and pulled her close.

"I'll believe you."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter pulled the car up to the kerb. He quickly exited and moved to open Claudia's door. Nick held out a hand to help her up. She grasped his hand with one of hers; then moved her legs sideways, placing both feet securely on the pavement. Claudia smiled and held up her other hand too.

"I think we're going to need both hands tonight," she said with a chuckle. Nick was grinning as he reached down with his other hand. He helped his pregnant wife up to a standing position. Together they walked to the door.

The professor fumbled with his keys, finally inserting one into the lock and pushing the door open. Claudia turned on the lights as they entered the hallway. They had hung up their coats and moved into the kitchen when they heard another car pull up in front of their home.

"Who's that?" asked Claudia.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Sarah pulled out of the car park with Becker in the passenger seat beside her. She glanced briefly in the rear view mirror. Jamal was still standing, watching their departure.

"Do you want me to take you to your flat?" Sarah asked Becker.

"No, I need to talk to Cutter," answered Becker "We've got to make a plan… send a rescue mission back for Abby, Connor and Danny."

"You heard Lester," protested Sarah "he won't risk any more lives going through the racetrack anomaly."

"Which is why we need to talk to Cutter," replied Becker.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker moved quickly out of the car. He was up the steps and banging on the Cutter's front door before Sarah had even turned off the car and made it to the sidewalk.

"Cutter," called Becker "Cutter."

The door opened, Becker almost fell as he stumbled through the opening. The Professor grabbed Becker and steadied him.

"Not so fast there," chided Cutter "you'll hurt yourself, or someone else."

"Cutter," said Becker, speaking quickly, as if to convince the Professor "we can't just give up! We've got to do something."

"We're not giving up," replied Nick gently. "Sarah, you come in too. We need to work on our anomaly map… you know... that thing we've made that Mrs. Lester says doesn't exist."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny watched the confused expression on the young Cutter's face.

"Of course, in my time… 2009 in London," Danny continued "you're a lot older. When did you first start travelling through anomalies?"

The young Professor and Stephen exchanged a glance.

"Well I would be older in 2009," answered Cutter with a chuckle "if I was still in London, but I'm here… in the Pliocene… and humanity is only just beginning."

"The Professors and I left Metropolitan University in 1997," said the young assistant. "The three of us were on a field expedition to the Forest of Dean."

Danny started at the young grad students words. The place, the Forest of Dean, was the same… but the timing… if he remembered his reports correctly, Helen had disappeared in 1999.

Professor Cutter was grinning again. "We've been calling the glowing lights time portals," the Scotsman said, clapping Danny on the shoulder. "But if you know me in 2009, I guess that makes it more of a dimensional portal, not just a time portal."

"We've got to get back to our own time," said Danny. "How have you been travelling through the anomalies?"

"They're everywhere," said Stephen "you just need to know how to find them."

"You go on," replied the Professor brusquely. "If that woman I just buried is not my wife, then my Helen is still out there… and I've got to find her."

"But, but, I don't know how to find the anomalies," exclaimed Danny.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	5. Connections

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Connections

"_I don't know how to find the anomalies."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny watched the young Professor and his assistant. The Scotsman turned back towards the cairn. He kneeled down, holding a hand out towards Stephen. His assistant kneeled down beside the Professor and started handing the man rocks. Cutter began carefully placing the stones on top of the pile. The man began talking to Stephen as if Danny wasn't even there.

"After we finish here," said the young Scot, "we'll need to backtrack… go back to where we lost Helen."

Stephen handed the Professor another stone. The young grad student glanced over at Danny in sympathy. He raised his hands in a helpless gesture.

"How do you open an anomaly?" Danny growled in frustration. "I've got to get back to my friends… they're stuck in the Cretaceous…"

Cutter stopped adjusting the rocks for a moment.

"If you left your friends in the Cretaceous," the man replied in his rolling brogue "then they're dead already."

"No," denied Danny vehemently. "I won't believe that. I can't. I've got to go back and find them. I'm going to get Abby and Connor home."

The young professor rocked back on his heels and turned to look at Danny once more.

"Do you want to tell me what a detective constable is doing out in the Pliocene?" the Professor asked Danny.

The lanky redhead looked down at the two men before him. Pointing at the cairn behind them, Danny replied sarcastically "I already told you, chasing a madwoman… trying to save the world from destruction… you know typical super hero stuff."

Stephen snorted in laughter, but the young Cutter frowned.

"I heard you the first time," replied the Professor "but I don't believe you. Helen wouldn't do that."

Danny tilted his head and looked at the man. "Were you even listening to me," Danny asked incredulously. The man continued to stare at Danny suspiciously.

"I know you, I know Helen," continued Danny, "and I know about the anomalies!"

"But you don't know how to find them?" asked Cutter. "How is that even possible?"

"And why don't you know me?" asked Stephen.

"My main focus has been on locking the anomalies," snapped Danny at Cutter "you know… super hero… trying to keep creatures from killing people."

Turning towards Stephen, Danny added harshly "I don't know you, because you're dead."

The young brown haired man rocked back on his heels, looking shocked. Stephen and the Professor exchanged a glance.

"Helen went through an anomaly in 1999," Danny explained "by herself, when she came back, she wanted to change the world… you were just a casualty of her mad schemes."

"I don't believe you," said Cutter "Helen would never do anything to harm Stephen… he's like a son to us."

Danny stared at the stubborn Scotsman. Danny opened and closed his mouth, trying to say something, but before he could think of words to say, another voice spoke.

"I believe him," said a young Helen Cutter as she approached the three men. "Being lost in time by yourself for more than a few days would drive anyone mad."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

James Lester and Vivian looked at the list they had drawn up. All known changes from what Vivian remembered of her childhood history lessons were marked.

"We ought to put these details in a database," suggested Vivian "see if we can find a pattern…"

"Hmmph," grumbled Lester. "If Connor were here, I'm sure he could figure it out… but right now, we are fresh out of technical geniuses."

"What about that young technician," asked Vivian "the one who survived the racetrack anomaly with Becker?"

"He quit," replied Lester "ran out screaming actually… said he didn't sign up to be killed."

"Can't blame him really," sighed Vivian.

"We need someone with Connor's technical expertise," mused James "and as brave as Becker."

Vivian spoke slowly. "There was a woman, in my history…but not now, later in the timeline… her name was Jess."

"We've got so many other changes," James mused reviewing the list yet again. "Maybe we should see if she's available…"

"It might disrupt the timeline even more," sighed Vivian "Connor's little sister appears to never have been born, and there is no sign of Jenny Lewis."

"But on the plus side," reminded Lester with a cheeky grin "we have Cutter and Christine Johnson still alive… and that dodgy inventor Philip Burton… whoever he is…"

"We just have to make sure the team, Cutter, Claudia, Sarah and Becker don't do anything rash and get themselves killed," said Vivian "We've just got to wait three days for the Hyde Park anomaly to open."

She placed her hand on the list, as if by holding the paper she could hold the lives of the people named there safe. Lester placed his hand atop hers, drawing closer.

"Two days now," said Lester "actually."

"There's one other change that we haven't listed," said Vivian. Her lower lip trembled as she looked at James.

"What?"

"You and me," said Vivian "married with three children… that was never in the history books."

Lester arched his eyebrows. "Well of course not," he chuckled as he leaned towards Vivian, "we'd be found in the romance section."

His lips met hers and for a time, neither worried about anything.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter, Claudia, Sarah and Becker were arguing. The soaring rods of the research model filled the living room.

"That's ridiculous. Just because a piece of plastic tubing doesn't snap together like you want," said Becker "doesn't mean anything… whether the anomaly can or can't be mapped isn't determined by plastic."

"It's not just the magneto-plastic tubing that won't come together," huffed Cutter "it's the same in Connor's tracking program… the coordinates don't align."

"What program?"

"He was charting all the anomaly coordinates," explained Sarah "the program he made draws lines between the anomalies… sort of like a graph."

"The image looked more like the hologram picture," added Claudia "to me than a graph."

Becker snorted in disbelief. "Seriously?" he asked "Are we back to that hologram again?"

"Yes!" exclaimed the Professor. He sighed tiredly, suddenly looking older than his forty years. "That artifact is the key to everything."

"Well I sure hope you're wrong about that," replied Becker grimly.

"Why?"

"When we went through the racetrack anomaly," said Becker "we followed Abby, Connor and Danny's trail to a building… in the lower levels, there was machinery… and the artifact… it was broken, shattered to smithereens really…"

"You should have brought the artifact back," said Cutter.

Becker stared at the Professor incredulously. He rubbed the bandages on his left shoulder.

"We were a little busy," said Becker with a sigh. He sat down on the sofa. "That's when the predator's attacked."

Professor Cutter looked abashed at his comment, but then resumed arguing with Claudia and Sarah about the anomaly map. Becker watched them for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed Sarah's old number. He put the sound of her cheery voice mail message on loudspeaker.

"Hi! This is Sarah. I can't come to the phone right now, so leave a message. Ta!"

Sarah, Cutter and Claudia turned at the first sound of her voice.

"What's that?" asked Sarah.

"I called your old number," answered Becker. "Jamal was telling you the truth, the telephone company didn't update your old number.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked at Connor. He was paler than usual, but whether that was from the macabre sight on the other side of the road or the pain in his legs, she wasn't sure.

"How long do you want to wait before we open the anomaly again?" she asked.

"At least an hour," replied Connor. "The raptors will probably follow the herd. I can't imagine them waiting around for us to come back."

"Hmmph," nodded Abby "Good."

She knelt down in front of him and started opening the rucksack, searching through it.

"What are you looking for?" asked Connor.

He shifted his body to lean back against the tree trunk nearest him. His movement left a smear of blood on the stones. Abby was worried about Connor's bleeding leg. She pulled a small pocketknife out of the rucksack and held it up triumphantly.

"I knew we had one," Abby answered with a grin. Connor's brown eyes opened wide.

"What are you gonna do with that Abby?" he asked as she advanced toward him.

"Need to see your leg," she replied grabbing the heavy black denim clinging to his leg. She brought the sharp knife to the fabric.

"Abby!"

"Hold still," Abby ordered as she began to cut the fabric.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor's right calf had puncture wounds on either side of the muscle, but the thick fabric and the anomaly closing abruptly had kept the raptor from closing its bite. The teeth marks left a crescent line on either side of his calf, but at least the muscle was intact.

"It looks sort of like a smile," joked Connor "can you imagine how I'm going to explain the scar to people?"

"Can't tell what it looks like," replied Abby shortly "it's too bloody… need to clean it."

She stood up and quickly turned away from Connor. Abby hoped that her face hadn't betrayed her shock at the sight of his wound. She took a deep breath. Then, Abby grabbed the empty water bottle out of the rucksack, and strode resolutely across the stones to the woods on the other side of the road.

"Where are you going?" asked Connor.

Abby pointed down the embankment. "There's a river," she said "I can hear it. I'm going to get some water so we can clean up your leg."

Connor sighed, and then nodded, settling back against the tree trunk. If Abby hadn't been worried already, his quiet acceptance of her departure would have alarmed her. She looked at the head on the spike to avoid looking at Connor's subdued posture.

"I don't like the way he is looking at me," said Abby as she moved off the far side of the road and headed down the embankment towards the river.

"How do you know the head was a he?" Connor called after her. "And without any eyes, how do you know which way he's looking?"

Abby grinned. Connor's curiosity was unquenched. Maybe his leg wasn't as bad as she thought it was.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	6. The People of This Place

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 The People of This Place

"_How long do you want to wait before we open the anomaly again?"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby sighed. Getting up and down the steep embankment was harder than it looked from her first view from the roadway. It had taken her nearly twenty minutes to get water back up to Connor that first time. Cleaning up his leg had showed that most of the puncture wounds were not deep enough to worry about.

_In spite of his protests, Abby had demanded Connor's undershirt to tear up for bandaging. It was only when she said something about tearing up her camisole, that Connor had realized she was determined to wrap his leg… one way or another._

"_The cotton in your undershirt would be better than my camisole for bandaging," argued Abby. Connor blinked, his brown eyes widening at her statement._

"_Really Abby," he objected "I don't need a bandage… and you should keep your camisole on… don't want you getting cold now."_

_Abby knew then that she had won the argument. "It is getting chilly," she agreed "but the bite marks need pressure to stop the bleeding."_

_Before she could even begin to take off her shirt, Connor had removed his jacket, quickly followed by his red hooded sweatshirt. _

"_Put this on," directed Connor, handing her the sweatshirt. To her delight, he was now peeling off his undershirt. She watched him take the garment off, before she nodded and began to raise his sweatshirt over her head. _

_Abby soon had Connor's undershirt cut into pieces. She began wrapping his calf. Most of the bite marks appeared to be clotting well and once wrapped no blood showed. The bite mark on the inside of his calf, closest to his knee, worried Abby though. It still oozed._

"_It should be alright," said Abby "as long as you don't walk on it too much."_

"_Well I'm going to have to walk on me leg now," Connor replied shaking his head "aren't I? There's no other way of getting around."_

_He started to get up, but Abby placed her hand on his chest, stopping him. Connor looked at her curiously._

"_Not yet," said Abby "we need to eat something before we open the anomaly to the Cretaceous."_

_Abby reached into the rucksack and handed Connor one of the energy bars Becker had packed. Connor wrinkled up his nose._

"_Not those," he protested "they're awful!"_

"_They're all we've got," reminded Abby. "I'll go get some more water to help wash them down… and put your jacket back on."_

_The second trip down the embankment to the gurgling stream had been quicker, but getting back up took longer. Abby was getting tired. She noticed with dismay that the red spot on the bandage behind Connor's knee was bigger now. She thought it would probably be good for him to rest a bit more._

"_I'll go get some more water," said Abby as they finished their scant meal. "Don't remember seeing a river in the Cretaceous."_

"_Abby," protested Connor "we should get going!" But she was already heading back down to the river. _

Abby knelt down at the water's edge for the third time that day. The gurgling water sounded louder here, drowning out the bird calls and other forest noises. She sighed again. Abby held the empty water bottle down and refilled it. The splashing water felt cool and refreshing against her hand.

A leaf floated down from the tree overhead. She looked up. Most of the trees appeared to have lost their leaves. If it wasn't for the evergreens at the edge of the roadway, she would have probably been able to see the road from where she was sitting.

Yesterday, it had been June when they left London, thought Abby. Today, wherever they were, whenever they were, it seemed to be autumn. Sudden tears sprang to her eyes. Would they ever find Danny and get home Abby wondered?

She blinked back the tears, and wiped a hand across her face. It wouldn't do to let Connor see how worried she was. Abby set the water bottle down and leaned forward. She took a deep breath and plunged her face into the cool water. Bringing her hands forward, Abby wiped away any traces of tears left in the grime on her face. When she raised her head up, she could hear Connor shouting from up above.

And, she could hear other voices shouting too.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor had been dozing. He hadn't slept much in the tree last night, and Abby had told him not to move. The sun had moved slowly across the stone roadway, and when the light finally shone warmly on Connor, he had closed his eyes… just for a few minutes he told himself. Then, when Abby gets back, we can go back to the Cretaceous.

The ox snuffling in his face woke him.

"Augh!" shouted Connor, sitting up straight and trying to back up all at once. He banged his head on the tree trunk behind him. "Ow!"

He looked anxiously at the ox. The creature appeared to be yoked to a large, heavily laden, wooden cart behind it. Connor scarcely had time to wonder where it came from before he found himself staring at the pointed end of a spear. Behind the spear, he could see a pair of brown boots. His eyes travelled up past the boots, to brown and dirty leggings, further up to an even browner and dirtier tunic, and finally his gaze met the eyes of a gaunt looking man with scraggly dark hair. Scraggly hair appeared to be a trend here, thought Connor irrelevantly.

"Uh," Connor said "Hello. My name is Connor Temple…"

A sharp retort came from the woods. Connor turned to look to his left. Another man, looking somewhat taller and better fed than the spear holding man, was pointing at the raptor's head. The spear point moved a little closer to Connor's throat.

"Uh… I can explain about that," Connor began "not a friendly creature…"

From behind the cart, another voice spoke. Connor turned to look. He saw a flash of green, and then another man stepped forward blocking Connor's view.

This man had short black hair cut in a tonsure. The monk or priest or whatever he was, wore a brown robe of some sort. He said something, and the gaunt man lowered his spear just a smidgen. In the woods, the taller man grunted as he picked up the head of the raptor. He strode towards the rear of the cart with his heavy load.

Connor was trying to make out the words. The language sounded a little like the French he had learned in secondary school, but different… in places, the words sounded more like the Latin one of his paleontology professors at uni had spouted so pretentiously.

The spear nudging his thigh however required no translation. Connor struggled to a standing position facing the gaunt man. Behind him, the tall man tossed the raptor's head into the oxcart and picked up a rope. He gestured to Connor.

Connor's eyes opened wide in realization. "No," he shouted "I'm not going with you."

He reached for the walking staff that leaned against the tree. Leaning on the staff, Connor hobbled a couple of steps away from the man with the spear. Moving sideways in such a slow manner, Connor realized he would never be able to out run these men. Abby… he thought… they'll catch her too.

"Stay hidden," Connor shouted, hoping Abby could hear him. The other men were now shouting at Connor in whatever language they used.

Connor stepped sideways again as the gaunt man raised his spear. From where he now stood, Connor could see the rear of the oxcart. A young woman wearing a green dress was tied to the back of the cart. She was barefoot, and Connor could see the rope had left red chafe marks on her wrists. Connor realized the dark haired woman was a prisoner of these men. The woman raised one hand, pointing to something behind Connor. He couldn't look though. Connor was too busy watching the man with the rope, the man with the spear and the monk.

Connor never even saw the man with the stick.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny watched incredulously as Helen and Nick Cutter were reunited. The curvaceous brunette was smiling and hugging her husband.

"I thought we had lost you forever," exclaimed the young Cutter. "Where have you been?"

"Not where, when," chuckled Helen. She pulled Cutter's head down, bringing her lips to his, deepening the kiss as the Scot wrapped his arms around her.

Stephen rolled his eyes and turned away from the pair. He found himself facing Danny. He shrugged.

"They get like this," confided the young grad student.

Danny had often wondered how the Professor Cutter he knew and a madwoman like Helen had ever been married. Judging from the actions of this younger version of the two, Danny thought there must have been some spark once.

"Not in my timeline," replied Danny.

"Yeah," replied Stephen "I heard… they're divorced, I'm dead… your timeline seems very different."

"Don't you ever want to go home?" asked Danny.

Stephen shrugged again. "This is an unparalleled opportunity to study the world's creatures," he answered. "And it's not like anyone would ever miss us."

Danny snorted. "Your mother misses you," he replied "she is still demanding a repeal of the official secrets act, wants to know what happened, how you got killed… got an army of lawyers… maybe even a general or two..."

Stephen's eyes had grown wider with each word Danny spoke.

"My mother's still alive?" Stephen asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter, Claudia, Sarah and Becker approached the building in the center of the racetrack quietly. The early morning light was just beginning to show through the trees.

"Claudia," whispered Cutter as he opened the door to the anomaly site, "you shouldn't even be here."

"Neither should you Nick," hissed Claudia "I've got a really bad feeling about this."

"I need to get the readings from the other side of the anomaly," replied the Professor. "We need to complete the research model."

Sarah rolled her eyes at the two of them. Becker caught her glance and chuckled. He stepped into the building first.

"Worthington…," Becker called "Smythe…"

He looked around the darkened area in concern. Where was the security team he wondered? Sarah bumped into him, shoving him another step forward into the room as she was followed by Claudia and Nick.

Flood lights came on overhead, blinding them all for a moment.

"Well, well," gloated Christine Johnson "what we have here? James can't you control your own employees?"

Christine Johnson was sitting in a wheel chair, her legs bandaged up past her knees. A military officer was standing behind her. Behind the man another security team stood weapons at the ready.

Beside her, James Lester stood patiently. He adjusted his cuff links. "I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for all this," he said smoothly.

"They're breaking into a secure government facility!" exclaimed Christine. "I could have them all locked up for treason!"

"It was the ARC's secure facility up until twenty minutes ago," countered Lester. "Just because you coerced the minister into signing over the care of this facility to you and your team for the foreseeable future…"

"What?" asked Cutter. "But we need…"

Whatever the Professor was going to say was cut off by Lester's next words.

"We really need to get going," interrupted Lester. Gesturing to Cutter, Claudia, Sarah and Becker he started walking towards the doorway. "Come along now."

The foursome started following him. Christine seethed.

"This isn't over yet!" she called after them.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	7. Sticks and Stones

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Sticks and Stones

"_This isn't over yet!__"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester strode quickly out the building towards the waiting SUV. He opened the door and gestured to Cutter, Claudia, Sarah and Becker. The foursome climbed into the rear seating compartment. Lester climbed into the front seat next to his wife. Turning to look towards the back, he glared at Cutter.

"You couldn't wait," snapped Lester. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused?"

The Professor inhaled sharply. "I haven't caused any trouble," Cutter responded curtly. "You've allowed that woman to keep me from my research. Why?"

Claudia reached out a hand to Cutter's arm. "Nick," she said quietly "the first few months… while you have been home recuperating, there were some issues at the ARC."

Cutter turned to look at his wife, then beyond Claudia to Sarah. Sarah was frowning, looking down at her lap where she was clasping and unclasping her hands. The Professor began to understand.

"Claudia," asked Cutter slowly "what kind of issues? And… were these issues in the reports that Sarah brought me?"

"The doctor said you had to be kept quiet," began Claudia.

"No," answered Sarah. "I only reported positive developments."

"It was my orders," reminded Lester "I told her to keep the reports slightly dull, leaving out anything that might get your heart racing."

Cutter glared at Lester. "What did you leave out?"

Everybody spoke at once.

"Connor had a concussion."

"Percy nearly died and then he quit!"

"Christine Johnson tried to take over the ARC."

"No," corrected Becker "Christine Johnson did take over the ARC with her military group for eight hours and forty-three minutes."

Cutter started laughing. "It sounds like you were counting every second," he replied.

"Yeah," replied Becker seriously. "That woman and her plans are dangerous. She's not a proper military leader at all, but the minister was set to hand over total control of the ARC and all its research to her."

Lester looked at the soldier. "The military has classified research into anomalies since the 1940's," James said quietly. "We wouldn't have gotten the ARC back from Christine if it weren't for Becker's aid."

"What kind of research?" asked Cutter.

"The kind of research that gets people killed," said Vivian from the driver's seat. "We really don't want the military controlling the ARC."

"The minister is not happy about losing three key team members," replied Lester "we may not have a choice in the matter. For right now may I suggest we all go back to the ARC and try to do some work?"

"Yeah," replied Cutter "and from the sounds of it, I've got several months of report reading to catch up on."

Vivian shifted the SUV into drive. "I'll drop you lot at the ARC," she said "but Claudia and I will need to go in to our offices."

She pulled the SUV through the open gate and began to accelerate more.

Sarah screamed "Stop!"

Vivian slammed on the brakes, jolting everyone with the suddenness of the vehicle stopping.

"Oh what is it now?" asked James with a long suffering sigh.

"Jamal," answered Sarah pointing at a figure traipsing through the woods towards the pedestrian gate to the racetrack. "We've got to stop him."

She hurriedly unbuckled her seatbelt and climbed over Becker to get out of the SUV. Sarah ran quickly, calling Jamal's name. He stopped and turned towards Sarah. They spoke together for a moment, and then she reached a hand out towards him. He smiled and took her hand. Together they returned to the SUV.

Becker had moved to the rearmost seat when Sarah climbed in the SUV followed quickly by Jamal. Lester raised his eyebrows.

"He stays," said Sarah firmly, sounding oddly like Cutter. "We need his help on the anomaly mapping project."

"Oh by all means," replied Lester sarcastically, "Anything for the anomaly map."

Vivian shifted the SUV into drive again. "I think perhaps Claudia and I should come into the ARC for a moment or two," she said "to see this map of yours."

"You mean the map that doesn't exist?" teased Cutter with a grin.

"Yes," Vivian replied coolly.

"Then you don't want to go to the ARC," the Professor said "we've got it at home."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny looked at Stephen in surprise. "Yeah," he replied "in my time your mother is alive. What happened to her in your time?"

Stephen swallowed. "After my Dad and brother died," he said "she was on lots of different medications… medicine to make her sleep at night and antidepressants… I don't even know all the medicines she was on."

Danny nodded as he listened to the young grad student. Stephen closed his eyes.

"She overdosed," said Stephen, taking in a deep breath, "and I don't really know if it was an accident… or not."

"I'm sorry," said Danny softly. He reached a hand out to clasp Stephen on the shoulder. "In my time, she's a feisty little woman that keeps Lester going round in circles with solicitors, the military and the minister."

"Who's Lester?" asked Cutter.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby climbed up the embankment slowly. She had heard Connor's frantic shout to stay hidden, but then nothing more from him. Abby took a deep breath and pushed aside the evergreen branch, dreading what she might find.

Connor wasn't there.

Abby stepped out onto the roadway. She walked across the stones to the other side. There she bent down and picked up Connor's staff. It wasn't beside the tree where he had been sitting. Abby wondered for a brief moment whether Connor had moved it or someone else.

She looked around. Connor's rucksack with the stun grenades and the anomaly opening device was still hidden beneath the bush where it had been when she left to go get water. Abby picked it up, put the water bottle inside and shouldered it. Her rucksack was lying empty next to the tree. The last of the energy bars were gone. And the raptor's head was missing.

What kind of men would steal food, a raptor's head and kidnap Connor?

Abby took another deep breath and stared resolutely down the road. They could keep the energy bars and the raptor's head, but she was going to get Connor back. She followed the rutted trail of the cart down the roadway. Abby just hoped the spatters of blood in the tracks were all from the raptor's head.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor groaned as consciousness returned to him. His head hurt and he was bouncing. Why was he bouncing? Connor opened his eyes. Then he shut them quickly. There was a raptor beside him. A long moment passed. Connor realized that he hadn't been eaten, so he opened one eye again. The raptor was still there. It hadn't moved. Connor opened his other eye.

The raptor wasn't going anywhere. The head, neck and upper torso of the creature was lying in a wooden cart next to Connor and some rather large barrels. The raptor, the barrels and Connor were all bouncing as the cart jolted its way down the road. Connor turned his head, and then groaned again and closed his eyes as the world went spinning in circles.

Someone gave a low, throaty chuckle.

Connor slowly reopened his eyes. A dark haired young woman in a green dress was trotting after the cart. She had to move quickly, Connor realized, or she would fall down. The young woman was tied to the cart. Connor remembered the oxcart and the men.

"Where are we going?" asked Connor.

The woman looked at him strangely. Connor tried the same question in French. This time the woman narrowed her eyes. She shook her head.

A rider approached. The big man was dressed in a short dark brown tunic and leggings. He wore a metal mesh over the tunic and carried a huge stick. He hit the side of the oxcart with the staff and said something incomprehensible to Connor.

Connor struggled to sit up straight. "Where are you taking me?" he asked.

The big man glared at Connor and muttered some more words. With a final blow to the side of the oxcart, he rode on forward. Connor watched him leave and then turned to look back at the woman. She was frowning after the big man.

She raised one hand in a rude gesture and then spat on the road stones. "Pah!" Connor agreed.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	8. More Dangerous Creatures

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 More Dangerous Creatures

"_What kind of men would steal food, a raptor's head and kidnap Connor?"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny looked at Cutter in surprise. The young Professor was standing with his arm wrapped around Helen, holding her close. The woman herself was smiling happily and leaning her head on Cutter's shoulder. For the first time, Danny saw Helen looking relaxed and content.

"In my time," explained Danny "Lester is technically your boss."

"Technically?" laughed Helen.

Danny shrugged. "Lester is the senior government representative… keeps the minister informed, the public uninformed, that sort of stuff," he explained. "Cutter was the scientific team leader originally, but we've separated out those roles… now he is the scientific research lead and I'm field team leader."

"I thought you said you were a constable," asked Nick "why would I willingly step down from leading the field team on the most exciting paleontological expeditions the world has ever seen?"

Too late Danny remembered he had introduced himself as a copper. Cutter was looking at Danny suspiciously. Would the truth of the matter help, or make things worse?

"You didn't step down," explained Danny. "Lester put me in the role of field team leader when you were hospitalized."

"Hospitalized?" gasped Helen. "What happened to Nick?"

Pointing at the cairn behind the couple, Danny spoke. "That Helen shot him."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester sighed. The group of people crowded into the Cutter's living room was all talking at once. He should have brought a referee whistle.

"Whether the anomaly map works or not isn't important," said Lester quietly. "There's one thing we all agree on. None of us want the military running the ARC."

Cutter, Claudia, Sarah, Becker and Jamal all nodded at his words. Vivian was standing at the rear of the room, leaning against the wall with her arms folded. At his questioning look, she nodded too.

"The minister is questioning the ability of the ARC to maintain public security," continued Lester "in the face of our most recent disasters."

"You mean losing Abby, Connor and Danny," exclaimed Cutter.

"That," replied Lester nodding in agreement, "in addition to losing Percy, Stephen and Leek."

"Percy left," reminded Sarah "of his own accord. Just because no one can find him doesn't mean he's lost in an anomaly."

At Becker's stern look, she tossed her hair back and added "Well it doesn't."

"Leek?" asked Claudia "Why is he included? He was a traitor, trying to destroy the ARC."

"Yes," sighed Lester "but he was a government employee at the time of his death… it really goes against health and safety to lose anyone… even Leek."

"All we've got to do," said Cutter in his rolling brogue "is to wait until tomorrow 9:42 PM… the Hyde Park anomaly opens and some of our team returns…"

Vivian straightened up in surprise at Cutter's words.

"Nighttime?" she asked in surprise "They came back in broad daylight in my history… followed by a spinosaurus. Sort of difficult to cover up… it was the first time anomalies were made public. The picture was in all the history books and on the cover of Temporal Theory 101."

"I don't know anything about your history or any of your books," answered Cutter "but my prediction is for 9:42 PM and I really hope Abby and Connor don't bring back a spinosaurus."

Becker frowned at his cell phone. He typed a quick response to the text and snapped the phone shut.

"We may have another problem," Becker said. "I just got a text from Worthington. Our security teams have been recalled. They're being replaced by Christine Johnson's men."

"Well," said Lester in the sudden silence "that probably means we are all out of a job."

"They can't fire us all!" exclaimed Sarah.

"Hmmph," said Lester rolling his eyes. "You would be surprised at what the government will do."

"Well," said Cutter "I hate to bring this meeting to a close, but my wife and I need a good nights sleep. We may have work tomorrow. Or if not, we'll be going for a picnic at Hyde Park."

"Right," said Lester "sounds like a plan. Tomorrow then."

He and Vivian put on their coats and headed towards the door. He stopped for a moment.

"Does anyone need a ride?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby slowed her pace as the sun lowered. She had been following the stone roadway for nearly an hour, but in the dimming light she feared tripping. She hoped that whoever had taken Connor would stop their journey for the night.

Stars were starting to come out when Abby caught up to the kidnappers. In the distance, she could see a small clearing. The cart was pulled off to the nearest side of the grassy space. Beside it a large creature appeared settled for the night. Closer to the edge of the road, a large fire was blazing making it difficult to see what was in the shadows beyond.

Cautiously, Abby stepped off the road and into the tree line. She wanted to remain hidden while checking out the camp. A few steps further into the woods gave her a different view. On the far side of the clearing, Abby could see a man grooming a horse. The saddle and other equipment were piled beside him.

Abby crept closer to the encampment. A gaunt man was kneeling in front of two people who appeared to be tied to a tree. The kneeling man jerked and pulled a mottled piece of cloth away from one of the prisoners.

"Ow!" exclaimed Connor "What did you do that for?"

Abby grinned in relief at the sound of Connor's voice. The gaunt man rose from his position and moved towards the blazing fire. He threw the cloth into the fire and turned to call out to the man nearest the horse. The man nodded and put down the brush. He reached into the pile of equipment near the saddle and held up a scabbard. The man withdrew a short flat bladed sword. Abby watched as the man carried the sword to the fire. He thrust it into the flames and then returned to the horse.

A third man, bigger than the other two, and wearing chain mail armor came out of the woods near where Connor and the other person were tied to the tree. Abby stepped closer trying to see Connor. Right now her plan, if you could call it that, was to wait for everyone to fall asleep and then creep up and free Connor.

Connor looked pale. He was sitting on the leafy ground. Ropes around his chest pulled tight against his black jacket. Where Abby had cut the lower part of his pants leg off, his calf appeared streaked with blood again as if she had never washed and bandaged it. Tied to the next tree, Abby was surprised to see a dark haired woman in a green dress. The gaunt man took the short sword from the fire, inspected it briefly, and then thrust it back into the flames.

Abby was so intent on watching the encampment that she didn't realize a fourth man was near her until he grabbed her by the wrist and started dragging her forward. The man in the long brown robe called out to the others.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor saw the monk dragging Abby towards the firelight.

"Abby!" he called, struggling against the ropes binding him to the tree.

"Connor!" cried Abby as she tried to pull free of the monk. The tonsured man stopped and wrapped both arms around her, holding her struggling body firmly in place.

The big armored man knelt down beside Connor. One heavy hand pushed Connor's chest back against the tree trunk. The big man spoke sharply. The gaunt man nodded and withdrew the short sword from the fire. He looked at it and nodded in satisfaction. He then turned to face Connor.

Abby watched in horror as the gaunt man walked the few short steps needed to bring him to Connor.

"What are you doing?" she screamed.

The man knelt down in front of Connor. Abby could see Connor's face. His eyes were as wide as saucers.

"Abby," cried Connor "save yourself."

Connor tried to kick out at the kneeling man, but the big armored man grabbed Connor's leg with his free hand and held it flat on the ground. The gaunt man leaned forward with the short sword, pressing the blade against Connor's calf.

Abby and Connor both screamed.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	9. Fragile Freedom

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Fragile Freedom

"_Abby and Connor both screamed."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby gagged as the smell of burning flesh filled the air. She saw Connor's body arc against the tree for a moment and then slump motionless. The horse reared and whinnied in fright. The man standing next to it was having difficulty trying to calm the creature. Behind her, the monk released one hand, making a choking sound as he brought it to cover his mouth and nose.

That moment of fragile freedom was all Abby needed. She crouched low and pulled. The tonsured monk flew over her back and landed in the dirt with a resounding thump. Abby ran across the clearing towards Connor and the two men at his side.

Her first kick caught the big armored man in the jaw. It shook him, but he didn't go down. He released his hold on Connor's leg and chest, bringing his hands up to grab at Abby, but she had already moved. Spinning round, she kicked the man full on in the face. Blood spurted from his nose as he fell back howling.

The kneeling man was her next target. He was still hovering over Connor's body, concentrating on pressing the heated blade of the sword on Connor's calf. The gaunt man looked up at her approach and raised one hand as if to stop her. Abby glared at the man.

"Get away from him," Abby hissed.

The gaunt man raised his other hand in a placating gesture. He said something to Abby in a language she didn't understand.

"Get away," repeated Abby.

The man scooted backwards, leaving the sword behind. Abby knelt down and picked up the sword. She raised it high, looking around the campsite.

The big armored man was sitting on the ground, pinching his nose. The gaunt man said something and the big man tilted his head backwards. The man beside the horse was patting it, speaking soothingly to the animal. The monk was scrambling up from the ground, wiping the dirt from his robes. Beneath the next tree, the dark haired woman watched intently. No one appeared to be a threat.

"Don't anyone move," ordered Abby. She dropped her gaze to Connor.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor lay unmoving. Abby's chin quivered. She couldn't tell if he was breathing or not. The skin on his calf was blistered bright red.

Abby reached for his wrist, but couldn't feel his pulse through the fingerless gloves. Her fingers fumbled with his glove, finally finding the edge. Abby pulled off his glove and turned his wrist over. Behind her, Abby heard the gaunt man gasp. She placed her fingers directly over the black markings of Connor's tattoo.

The steady thrum of Connor's pulse answered her touch. Abby smiled in relief. She looked up to see the four men staring at her. The monk was crossing his chest. The men looked frightened. The woman in the green dress however looked frightening.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny heard the sudden intake of breath from the others at his words.

"No," cried Helen, as she buried her face in Nick's chest.

"Why?" asked Cutter bluntly.

"The woman was mad," Danny said shaking his head. "She brought clones into the ARC, trying to take over…."

"Clones?"

"What's the ARC?"

Danny gazed at the two professors levelly.

"I don't have time to explain the history of my world," the red headed man replied. "I need to get back to the Cretaceous and save my friends, then get us all back to my world. I'd like to live there."

Nick and Helen exchanged a glance.

"We can take you to the anomaly junction," replied Cutter "but you're on your own from there. We're staying here."

"What's the anomaly junction?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester pulled the ARCs SUV into the car park and turned off the ignition. Sarah, Becker and Jamal got out of the back seat. Lester looked at them worriedly as he got out of the driver's seat and stood next to the SUV.

"Call first before you come in to work tomorrow morning," Lester said "If Christine is really planning another takeover, it might be better if you weren't there."

"Yeah," agreed Becker. "What about the two of you?"

Vivian came around from the other side of the SUV. She placed her hand on Lester's arm.

"We'll be fine," she said reassuringly.

Becker nodded, and then turned to follow Sarah and Jamal to their cars. James and Vivian walked over to the jaguar and climbed in.

As Vivian buckled her seatbelt, James started the car. He turned to look at his wife while he buckled his seatbelt.

"We'll be fine?" Lester asked. She smiled and reached for his hand. Entwining her fingers in his, she nodded.

"I called your mother," said Vivian quietly "she's taking the children to your brother's… just in case."

Lester nodded. He shifted the car into gear and pulled out onto the roadway.

"Home James," said Vivian.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker refused Sarah's offer of a ride to his flat.

"No," Becker replied "I'm going to see a friend, get some back up for tomorrow… just in case."

He drove out of the car park quickly, leaving Sarah and Jamal staring at each other.

"I have a really bad feeling about this," said Sarah.

"You shouldn't be alone tonight," said Jamal. "I've been in countries where the military has taken over... it's not safe."

"It's not a military take over of the whole country Jamal," replied Sarah "they're just trying to get control of one department… besides, I'm sure Lester will get it all straightened out with the minister tomorrow."

"If you'd like," offered Jamal "you can stay at my flat tonight. Nobody would connect us."

Sarah narrowed her eyes as she looked at Jamal.

"Well, that's lovely," she said "but where would I sleep?"

"On the sofa," replied Jamal "I don't do one night stands."

"Neither do I," said Sarah smiling up at him.

"If you're interested in a long term arrangement," whispered Jamal softly "there's room in the bed."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter entered the bedroom carrying a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream and a jar of Tabasco sauce. He looked at Claudia curiously.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked.

Claudia looked critically at the food in his hands. "Do we have any left over pepperoni pizza?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	10. Percy Returns

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Percy Returns

"_The woman in the green dress however looked frightening."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby's blue eyes met the dark brown eyes of the woman tied to the next tree. The woman was speaking, quick low words, sounding as anxious as Abby felt. She was struggling against the ropes. Abby didn't know what the words meant. Abby acted on instinct. The petite blonde swung the sword in a high arc bringing it down on the side of the tree.

The ropes separated, freeing the woman in the green dress. The woman pushed the long, loose sleeves of her green dress back, revealing the inside of her forearms. Delicate black markings ran from just beyond the chafe marks at her wrist nearly to her elbow. In front of Abby, the gaunt man hissed.

The dark haired woman glared at the man briefly. She then began searching in the folds of her waistband. The woman withdrew a small folded cloth. She unwound the cloth and held up a sprig of some plant for Abby to see. The woman moved to the other side of Connor. She held the leaves close to his nose and began pinching the leaves, crumbling them beneath his nostrils.

Beside Abby, Connor stirred. He opened his eyes.

"Abby," asked Connor "what are you doing here?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor turned his head in confusion. He tried to move, but the ropes held him against the tree.

"A little help here," asked Connor "please?"

"Yeah Conn," replied Abby. She sliced through the ropes, releasing Connor.

He began rubbing his arms. Then Connor nodded in the direction of the watching men.

"Do you think they're just gonna let the three of us walk out of here?" asked Connor.

Before Abby could reply or even wonder how Connor thought he was going to walk anywhere, two more men rode into the encampment. The four kidnappers, who had looked so frightened just moments ago, now looked relieved. The dark haired woman turned to look at Abby. Abby wondered if her own eyes looked as hopeless as the brown eyes facing her. How would they ever escape now?

The gaunt man stood up. Moving quickly and talking even faster, he went toward the man mounted on the lead horse. This man was wearing chain mail, and a helmet that closely covered his skull, with a wedge of metal in front of his nose. Only the lower portion of his face was visible. The second man on horse back was a boy really. He looked nervous and carried a brightly painted wooden shield.

The helmeted man listened to the gaunt man. Then he nodded his head, and spoke some words in a calm soothing voice. Abby stared. She'd heard that voice before.

"Percy?" The helmet turned in her direction.

"Abby," replied the voice in disbelief "Connor?"

The helmeted man dismounted from the horse and strode towards them, taking his helmet off as he approached. Percy, looking at least ten years older than when she had last seen him, stopped in front of Abby.

Echoing Connor's earlier question, Percy asked "What are you doing here?"

"Missed the last tube home," replied Connor weakly.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy took in the scene at a glance. Percy spoke sharply. The gaunt man replied. Speaking rapidly and making gestures with his hands, he answered Percy's questions. When they finally quit talking, Percy nodded again and turned to Abby.

"Jean would like to know if he can have his sword back," said Percy. Abby blinked in surprise.

"What happened to you Percy? Are you with them?" hissed Abby. She slowly moved to a standing position as she raised the sword she had been holding all this time a little higher. "Those men… thieves, kidnappers… they tried to kill Connor!"

"Abby," said Percy, holding both hands up, "you've got it all wrong. They were trying to help Connor."

"Help him?!" exclaimed Abby in disbelief. "They hurt him!"

"They were trying to help him!"

"I know what I saw." Pointing at the gaunt man, Abby glared. "He was torturing Connor!"

"Abby," said Percy in a soothing tone "you're not in London… we don't have hospitals here."

"I know we're not in London," hissed Abby "if we were I'd have the coppers here already."

"Abby," said Percy "look at Connor."

Abby looked. Connor's dark brown hair was disheveled; dark circles were beneath his brown eyes. Maybe it was the black clothes he was wearing, or maybe it was just a trick of the firelight, but all of his skin looked paler than usual she thought. Connor's exposed wrist looked fragile without the extra padding of his fingerless gloves. The black markings of his tattoo stood out starkly in contrast to his skin. The burn on his calf was a vivid red.

"Connor's leg was bleeding," Percy continued. "From what Jean says, the wound wasn't showing any signs of clotting on its own."

"I cleaned the bite," said Abby "wrapped it tight in cloth bandages."

"It was still bleeding… after how much time?" asked Percy. "Look how pale Connor is. Do you see?"

Abby swallowed.

"In this time, in this place," said Percy quietly "we don't have many options. Jean's about the closest thing we've got to a doctor around here. Cauterization is harsh, but it works."

Abby nodded.

"We're the good guys Abby."

"If you're the good guys," asked Connor "then why did that guy hit me?"

"What?"

Connor pointed at the big man. The man was still pinching his nose, trying to stop the bleeding.

"I know it wasn't any of the others," said Connor "because I could see them. I was trying to get away, next thing I know I wake up in a cart with me head pounding."

Percy asked a question in the language of the time. The monk answered this time. The poor man was stepping from one foot to the other, twisting his robe nervously as he spoke. Percy chuckled, and then turned to look back at Connor.

"Where were you standing?" asked Percy. He was grinning at Connor.

"At the side of the road," answered Connor.

"And what were you doing?" asked Percy "Do you remember?"

"Told you," replied Connor "I was trying to get away."

"Yeah, Conn you clumsy git," said Percy "you stepped off the side of the road, fell and hit your head. They picked you up and put you in the cart… couldn't leave you on your own… it's dangerous here."

Abby had heard enough. Maybe these men weren't kidnappers and torturers, and Percy might think they were the good guys, but she didn't trust them. She started to say as much, but Connor spoke first.

"So why did you have her tied up?" asked Connor, gesturing to the woman in the green dress.

"I told you," replied Percy "it's dangerous out here. We couldn't leave anyone alone in these times. I ordered them to bring her into the village for her own safety… whether she wanted to come or not. I told Jean, Henri, Louis and Herman to tie her up and bring her here kicking and screaming all they way if they had to. "

"What's so dangerous out here Percy?" asked Abby.

"Where are we Percy?" asked Connor "When are we?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny stared in amazement. Anomalies sparkled and glittered all around him.

"We've brought you this far," said the young Cutter. He pointed at an anomaly with a pile of small white rocks in front of it. The rocks appeared to make the letter D. "That anomaly will take you back to the Forest of Dean."

"We're going back to the Pliocene," said Helen with a bit of a smirk. She clasped Nick by one hand and held out the other towards Stephen. "Come on Stephen."

"No," replied the young grad student. "The two of you go on exploring. I'm going to help Danny get home. I wouldn't want to leave him on his own now."

Stephen turned to face Danny. Stephen didn't see Helen's expression change.

"But Stephen..."

"Helen," said Cutter, patting his wife's hand, "he's a grown man, and you know he's been talking about going back to civilization for months now. Its better for the two of them to travel together."

The two started walking towards the Pliocene anomaly.

"We've left markers in front of all the anomalies we've explored," explained Stephen.

"Yeah," nodded Danny distractedly. He was watching the Cutters.

Nick and Helen were holding hands as they reentered the anomaly to the Pliocene. Nick seemed oblivious to anything upsetting his wife. But, the last glimpse Danny saw was Helen craning her head back to look after Stephen. She looked furious.

Danny shook his head. For a while there, he had thought there might actually be a universe where Helen Cutter was a nice woman who loved her husband and thought of Stephen as a son not a possession.

"Are you listening?" asked Stephen.

"What?" asked Danny "Sorry… missed that."

"I said we left white rocks as markers" explained Stephen patiently "for the anomalies we've been to."

"Yeah, got that," replied Danny. Pointing at an anomaly a few feet beyond Stephen where white rocks also were piled, he added "you've been there."

Stephen nodded.

Then Danny asked "So did you and Helen ever..." Danny's voice trailed off and he made an whistling sound.

Stephen looked startled. "God no!" he said emphatically. "Although she did make a pass at me a few times... I finally told her I was gay. Don't know if she believed me or not."

Danny chuckled. "So which anomaly goes to London?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter was stretched out on a bright red checked blanket beneath a shade tree near the Serpentine Road in Hyde Park. He had a wide brimmed straw hat shading his face from the early morning sun. Beside him sat Claudia on a rented deck chair. A vacant deck chair sat next to her.

Claudia was munching celery sticks with cream cheese wondering if she should wake her husband when a tall slender woman approached her.

"May I join you?" asked Vivian.

"Sure," said Claudia cheerfully. She pointed at the empty chair. "Nick's not using that, make yourself at home."

Vivian smiled and sat down.

No one spoke for an awkward moment.

"So…"

"Where's Lester?" blurted out Claudia.

Vivian glanced at her watch. "Hopefully he's getting out of the shower now," replied Vivian "he's got a meeting with the minister at 8:00."

Claudia nodded.

"We've been at the park since it opened this morning," said Claudia.

"I know," said Vivian. "I saw you arrive."

There was silence between the two women for another few awkward moments.

"So why are you waiting here?" asked Vivian.

"Nick's prediction," said Claudia, pointing to the water just past the road, "the anomaly is supposed to open right in the center of the Serpentine."

"No," objected Vivian, "it opened on dry land, just past the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain."

"Vivian," asked Cutter, rolling over and sitting up "when are you going to realize that you aren't in your past?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

_A/N Percy appeared in Transitions chapter 8-22_


	11. Signs and Symbols

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Signs and Symbols

"_You aren't in your past…"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter looked at Lester's wife sympathetically.

"You've got to understand," the Professor explained "there are too many differences, too many changes…"

"Yes, I know…," interrupted Vivian "Temporal theory… rule number one - if you go back in time, something will change."

"What?" asked Cutter. He looked at her in confusion. "What rule?"

"Nothing," replied Vivian, blinking her eyes. She sniffed. Claudia handed her a tissue.

"Oh look," said Claudia changing the subject, "Sarah and Jamal are here."

The two were walking across the grass, hand in hand. Jamal was carrying a small cooler. They were chatting. Jamal must have said something funny, because Sarah flipped back her long brown hair and started laughing.

"Where's Becker?" growled Cutter when they were close enough to hear him.

Sarah looked at him in surprise.

"Isn't he here already?" she asked.

"Yes, Becker's here," answered Vivian. She pointed into the woods. "He's got some assistants… they're all throughout the woods."

"How on earth are we ever going to get in contact with him?" asked the Professor sounding exasperated.

"I believe that's where I come in sir," replied a young female voice.

Cutter turned towards the voice. A young girl with dark hair held high in a ponytail stood in front of him. She was carrying an equipment box.

"Who are you?"

"Jessica Marie Parker," the girl introduced herself with a sunny smile. "Jess for short… I'm the new communications specialist."

"My new intern," added Vivian.

Cutter glared at Lester's wife.

"She's a child," said Cutter "we've got no business endangering children…"

The young lady in question stamped one foot.

"I am not a child," protested Jess "I'm nineteen and the best communications specialist you'll ever see."

Cutter rolled his eyes. "You see what you've done?" he asked Vivian.

"We need her Cutter," said Vivian. "Becker called in some favors. Tom Ryan sent some trainees from Sandhurst. Jess can help us communicate with everyone. Hyde Park is covered. If an anomaly opens anywhere in the park today, we'll know about it."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny glared at Stephen.

"We've been through this one before," Danny said. "Last year, I'm sure of it."

"No," said Stephen "look at our rocks… the anomaly has moved a good six inches since we last went through it… it could go anywhere now."

"Fine," grumbled Danny "we'll try it again."

He stepped through the anomaly into water waist deep. Stephen followed closely, bumping into Danny. They both lost their footing and were swept downstream… through another open anomaly.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby looked at Percy. She narrowed her eyes and asked one more question.

"What are you doing here Percy?"

Percy gave her a wry grin. "Later, yeah," he said "right now, we need to get back to the village. If the night watchman could see that fire, others could too."

"What others?" asked Abby "No! We need to get back home."

"Abby, no," protested Connor "we've got to go back to the Cretaceous, to follow Danny."

Percy looked from Abby to Connor in surprise.

"I've been to the Cretaceous mate," Percy said "trust me; you don't want to go there."

"Connor," asked Abby gently "both your legs are hurt. Can you even stand up?"

"But Abby…"

"Can we argue about this later?" asked Percy. "We really need to get moving! We need to get inside the village walls."

Percy turned his head and spoke to the other men. The big man, Henri, wiped his nose against his sleeve and then stood up. He looked around and quickly stepped into the forest edge. He grabbed the wrist of the brown haired woman. She had been quietly trying to sneak into the woods.

As Henri pulled her back towards the others, she turned to beat her hands on his chest. He simply picked her up and held her over his shoulder. She began flailing and kicking.

"Can't we let her go?" asked Abby "She obviously doesn't want to go to this village of yours."

Percy sighed. "I know she doesn't like the village," he said "but if we left her, the barbarians would find her. If she were lucky, they would just rape and kill her… if she weren't lucky…"

Abby blanched. "Barbarians?"

"Yeah. I've lived here for the last ten or twelve years now…," replied Percy "Folks tell me this used to be a safe enough place to live when it was a Roman Province... but that was a long time ago... before Rome was sacked… now… it's a different story."

Henri was talking to the man with the horse. Louis brought Henri some rope. He held the rope up in front of the woman and said something. She quit kicking and glared at the man. Then she nodded her head. Henri carried her over to the boy still sitting on the horse. He helped her get seated behind the boy.

Percy knelt down by Connor. "We've really got to get going mate," he said "let me help you up."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor looked at the ARC's former public relations representative.

"Yeah," Connor replied "I think I could use some help."

Percy clasped Connor's forearm close to the elbow. Connor's bare hand clenched Percy's arm.

"On three," said Percy with a grin. Connor nodded.

"One… two… three…"

The two men rose together. For a moment, they stood together. Then Connor wavered and fell flat on his back. His right arm sprawled across the ground, pointing his bare hand towards the fire. At that moment something snapped in the fire, sending a blazing flame soaring skyward. The monk crossed himself. Jean, Louis and Henri started muttering.

"Connor," cried Abby. She dropped the short sword and knelt by Connor's side, reaching for his wrist to check his pulse again.

"Oh great!" exclaimed Percy in annoyance. He knelt down beside Connor too. "Abby, Abby… he's okay, just fainted. People do that sometimes when they've lost a lot of blood."

Abby looked at Percy worriedly. "It's the third time he's been unconscious in two days," she said.

"We'll get him in the cart," said Percy "don't worry."

Abby thought not worrying was easier said than done as she looked at Connor sprawled on the ground. Percy spoke to Henri. The big man shook his head nervously. He backed up a step. Percy then called to the woman in the green dress. She searched her waistband, then shook her head no. Percy sighed in exasperation.

"What's wrong?" asked Abby.

"The men are all scared," answered Percy. "Henri doesn't want to pick up Connor, I can't lift him, and there are no more of those leaves to wake him up."

"Scared?" asked Abby. "Scared of what?"

Percy turned to face Abby. "They're scared of Connor," he answered.

Abby wondered why the big man would be scared of an unconscious man.

"He didn't seem to have a problem picking up Connor before," Abby pointed out.

"Yeah, well that was when he thought Connor was a dragon slaying warrior," replied Percy.

"He thought Connor was what?" asked Abby. "No, no… never mind… it doesn't matter really. But why is he scared now?"

Percy pointed at Connor's wrist. The black markings, strange twists and turns surrounding a stylized triangular symbol, stood out starkly on his pale skin.

"Ever since they saw the tattoo, they think he's a dragon slaying wizard," said Percy.

Abby gave him an incredulous look. "It's a dinosaur Percy," she whispered "not a dragon. And Connor's not a wizard."

Percy nodded. "Yeah, I know," he said. "But for them… it explains the rest of the missing dragon. And the fire blazing up just now when Connor pointed at it… unconscious mind you…that removed any doubts they might have had."

Abby smirked. Connor… a wizard? "What do they think I am?"

"Dangerous."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy finally got the big man to help lift Connor and carry him to the cart. Abby had the sneaking suspicion that Percy had threatened Henri with Abby's wrath. Louis and Herman the monk had yoked the ox back to the cart. Abby looked at the cart.

"There's not much room to lay Connor down."

"We put him in it before," said Percy.

"Looks uncomfortable" replied Abby. "Why did they bring the raptor's head?"

Percy shrugged. "They thought I should see it."

"Well now you've seen in," said Abby. "I've got an idea…"

The moon was just beginning to rise over the tree tops by the time everybody was ready to leave. Abby was sitting in the back of the cart, leaning on the large barrels. She had Connor's head in her lap. He stirred, and woke.

"Abby," asked Connor "what happened?"

"It's okay Connor," soothed Abby "we're just going to Percy's home. You need to rest some, yeah."

He blinked. "Yeah, okay," sighed Connor. He turned and snuggled in closer to Abby. He was asleep without another word. Abby gently brushed a strand of dark brown hair from his face. It was going to be okay she told herself. It just had to be.

As the cart started the long climb up the hill, Abby looked back at the encampment. The raptors teeth showed bright white in the moonlight. The head was mounted on Henri's heavy staff. The creature's baleful gaze overlooked the road. Hopefully a dragon's head on a stake would serve as a warning to any barbarians that might want to come up this road.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	12. Changing Times

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Changing Times

"_If an anomaly opens anywhere in the park today, we'll know about it."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter's nose was starting to turn pink. His hat lay long forgotten on the red blanket. Blue skies with just a tiny scattering of fluffy white clouds, warm weather and lots of sunshine had brought people crowding into Hyde Park on this beautiful June day. The bright sun soon heated up the day and some tempers were getting frazzled.

There had been forty seven anomalies already and it wasn't even lunch time. Granted the anomalies just flickered briefly and were gone. There had been no creature incursions and worse yet, no sign of their friends return.

"This is ridiculous," huffed Cutter. "The hand held anomaly detector must be on the fritz. If there were really any anomalies opening, the ARC would have sent a team by now."

"If they could," said Mrs. Lester worriedly.

"I've checked everything I know how to," sighed Sarah "we need Connor to do any in depth testing of the equipment. He's really the only one who understands it all."

Sarah was sitting on the red blanket, the equipment spread out in front of her. The cooler full of water bottles she and Jamal had brought was long since emptied. Jamal had left for work at the British Museum hours ago, promising to return later with takeaways.

"Just a thought," said the new intern thoughtfully, "if the detector is calibrated to find radio magnetic waves… maybe the handheld devices are registering the anomaly signals because of proximity… the main equipment in the ARC might not be able to receive the signal…"

"Jess," Cutter asked shaking his head in confusion, "what are you talking about?"

Jess blushed. Her first day on the job and she had already annoyed the man her new boss told her not to aggravate. Behind him though, Jess could see Mrs. Lester nodding reassuringly. Jess squared her shoulders and spoke up.

"It's like when you're driving… listening to your favorite song on the car radio," Jess explained "but you go too far away from the station, and you can't pick up the signal because it's too weak."

"What?" asked Cutter still looking puzzled.

"These blinkers," said Jess "maybe… the signal is not strong enough to register on the equipment unless you are close to it."

At that moment, the handheld detector lying on the blanket beside Cutter went off again. Everyone stopped talking and turned to look.

"There," said Cutter pointing across the water in the direction of the Princess Diana Memorial Fountain. The huge anomaly flickered briefly and then was gone.

"It was big enough for a spinosaurus to come through," said Mrs. Lester softly, staring at the empty space. Beside her, Claudia reached out, placing her hand on the other woman's arm. Claudia patted Vivian's arm reassuringly.

"Yeah," agreed Cutter "but the anomaly didn't open in this universe."

Cutter turned to gaze at the young communications specialist.

"So Jess," asked the Professor "are you saying the detector at the ARC is only catching the signal from the anomalies that are strong enough to actually open in our universe… and the only reason we're finding these other blinking anomalies is because we are sitting right on top of them?"

Jess nodded.

"Now how am I going to put that into the research model?" muttered Cutter.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny splashed, frantically trying to keep his head above water.

"Stephen!" he called. Danny's eyes began to adjust to the night sky.

"Over here Danny," responded Stephen "it's shallower, you can stand up."

"There's something in the water with us," exclaimed Danny "we need to get out of the water!"

"No," argued Stephen "we need to get back through this anomaly and the next, or we'll be stuck here."

A small pliosaur swam between the two men. The water was so shallow that the creature was partially exposed

"Get out of the water," ordered another voice. A man was standing in the deep night shadows beneath a tree. "That creature's dangerous."

Stephen and Danny both splashed towards the shore. The pliosaur turned in the deeper water behind the men, and raced towards them. The man who had ordered Stephen and Danny out of the water raised a weapon and fired. The creature turned, swimming back towards the glowing anomaly. It paused for just a moment, then swam through. The glowing lights shimmered briefly, then shut completely as Stephen and Danny climbed up the embankment.

The armed man stepped forward into the moonlight. Behind him, other figures were running towards him.

"Becker!" exclaimed Danny in surprise.

"Danny!" responded Becker. "Where are Abby and Connor? And who is this with you?"

Cutter skidded to a stop beside Becker. He looked from Danny to Stephen.

"You can't be Stephen," said the Professor "I watched you die."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby shivered in the cold wind. The oxcart had broken down. They were near the village Percy assured her, but they needed a cart to carry Connor and the barrels the rest of the way. Henri carefully moved Connor from the cart and laid him down beside a group of large rocks in the clearing near the road.

"We're going to have to leave some people here," said Percy. "I have to take Louis, so he can drive the oxcart back."

Abby nodded.

Pointing at the woman in the green dress, Percy continued speaking. "It would be better if you and she came to the village now."

"No," said Abby "I'm not leaving Connor like this."

Connor had been waking in fitful starts and then lapsing back into sleep or unconsciousness all through the long night. Abby was worried. From the way both Jean and the dark haired woman kept glancing at Connor, she could tell they were worried too.

Percy frowned, and started to disagree.

"We'll be fine," Abby told "Jean has a sword."

"That little thing," laughed Percy. "That's only good for cauterization or teaching children at play sword fighting."

Percy withdrew the long sword at his saddle from its scabbard. The thing was huge, almost as long as Abby was tall.

"Now this," said Percy "this is a sword."

Percy left Henri in charge. The big man was proudly standing guard, holding the huge sword, when Percy, the monk and Louis, doubled up on one horse with the boy, rode off. Abby, Jean and the woman in the green dress were sitting beside Connor huddled together against the cold wind.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor woke as daylight started to stream through the bare tree branches. He struggled to sit up.

"Ooh," he groaned. He didn't know which hurt worse, his ankle, his calf or his head.

"Connor," hissed Abby "sssh!" She nodded her head in the direction of the other people.

Connor looked around. The big man in mail was leaned against a large rock pillar; the gaunt man dressed in brown was leaning against him. They both were snoring a bit. Beside Abby, the woman in the green dress was curled into a tight little ball. It looked like she might be sleeping too.

Connor blinked. Abby noted his eyes were bright and alert.

"How are you feeling?" she asked hopefully.

"Sore," admitted Connor. "Sleeping in a tree followed by a night sleeping on the ground tends to make me achy."

"Well actually Connor," said Abby "you haven't spent the whole night on the ground… part of the time you were in the cart."

"Huh," responded Connor in confusion. "Have I lost a day? I thought it was only two nights since we lost Danny."

"No, no Connor," reassured Abby "it's only been two nights… it's just we moved you a few times last night."

If anything, Connor looked more confused. "What?"

But before Abby could explain, a branch snapped. They both turned to look in the direction of the sound. Three young dracorex peered from the edge of the forest.

"Oh the poor things," said Abby "they'll freeze in this climate."

"I left the anomaly opening device hidden," said Connor quietly, "thought you would be able to find it… get home…"

Abby turned towards him. Lifting the rucksack up where he could see it, she smiled. "I found it."

Connor held the anomaly opening device in his hands. He pointed it at a space just in front of the three dracorex. He pushed some buttons, the air shimmered, fractured and an anomaly opened. A warm breeze came through. The three dracorex quickly disappeared through the opening.

"We should get going," whispered Connor.

"Can you walk?" asked Abby worriedly.

"I'll try me best," Connor promised. Abby handed him the staff, and then reached for his other arm.

They made it four steps before Connor collapsed on the ground with a groan. The anomaly opening device landed in the leaves and bounced forward.

"Go on Abby," urged Connor. "Find Danny…"

"No," replied Abby shaking her head "I'm not going without you."

The petite brown haired woman was suddenly at Connor's other side. She was trying to lift his other arm. Beyond her, Abby could see Jean and Henri sitting beside the huge stone. Their eyes were opened wide as they stared at the glittering anomaly.

"No, really," said Connor "you don't want to come with us."

A barking call echoed through the anomaly and into the clearing.

"Connor… raptors…" said Abby worriedly "we need to close the anomaly, now!"

Connor leaned forward, reaching for the anomaly opening device. It was just beyond his grasp. He crawled on his forearms towards the device, reaching it just as the raptor came through the anomaly. The vicious creature was snapping and snarling. It lunged towards Connor.

"No!" screamed Abby. She pulled Connor back. The raptor's jaws snapped shut on empty air where Connor's hand had been just moments before.

Behind them Henri scrambled to his feet. Grabbing Percy's huge sword, the big man charged at the creature. The raptor and the man did some sort of macabre dance in the clearing. Sword thrusting alternated with snapping teeth. One of them, Connor was never sure which one, stepped on the anomaly opening device.

The doorway to the Cretaceous closed.

"No," cried Connor. He struggled to move forward, reaching for the device.

"Connor No!" cried Abby. She grasped him by the shoulders and pulled him back again.

Their screams distracted Henri. The raptor swung its heavy tail like a club, knocking the big man flat on his back. The huge sword fell to the ground in the autumn leaves. The vicious creature pounced on his chest with both feet. Long claws tried to rip through the chain mail.

Beside them, the woman in the green dress rose and ran towards the sword. Somehow, she managed to lift the heavy metal object. From the rocks behind Abby and Connor, Jean also ran forward towards his fallen friend. He stepped on the anomaly opening device, slipping and tripping to fall beside Henri.

The dark haired woman stepped forward, placing herself between the two men and the raptor. She held the sword high; her fierce and determined gaze never wavered from the creature. The air beyond her shimmered, fractured, and a second anomaly opened. As the raptor advanced, the woman backed up, stepping through the anomaly. The raptor followed. Through the anomaly, Abby and Connor could see the woman swinging the sword in a high arc, slicing through the creature's neck. The air shimmered and the anomaly closed

"No," cried Connor yet again. He crawled forward, reaching the anomaly opening device.

"Connor, what are you doing?" called Abby "Open it, we've got to go after her!"

"I didn't close it Abby," replied Connor. He held up the broken device. "I can't bring her back."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy knew something was wrong the moment he rode into the clearing.

Jean was hovering over Henri. The big man made no attempt to rise, he just moaned in response to Percy's questions. Jean pointed to the twisted and torn metal sheathing that had once been the big mans chain mail and continued wrapping bandages around Henri's chest. Abby and Connor were huddled together beside Jean and Henri.

"What happened," asked Percy.

"An anomaly," replied Abby shortly.

"A raptor came through," answered Connor.

"Where is the girl? Where is the raptor?" Percy demanded, instantly on the alert. "And where's my sword?"

"The woman in the green dress took your sword," said Abby "she and the raptor both went through another anomaly."

"What?" exclaimed Percy. "How am I ever going to explain that to her stepfather?"

"Who?" asked Abby.

"Her stepfather is the equivalent of the mayor in the village, for this time and place he's pretty important," Percy explained. "He's arranged a influential marriage for his daughter."

"Is that why she didn't want to come back to the village?" asked Abby indignantly. "An arranged marriage?"

"That might have something to do with it." Percy admitted. "It is the way things are done in this time and place.

"Well, she's gone to somewhen in the mid-twentieth century," sighed Connor "but I can't be more specific, and without knowing when exactly she went, I can't get her back."

"I'll never be able to explain that," sighed Percy. "Her stepfather will probably throw us all in the dungeon."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	13. The Woman in the Green Dress

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 The Woman in the Green Dress

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In another time and place, a young artist watched in amazement as the air shimmered, fractured and an anomaly opened in the clearing where he was painting a forest scene that included a local landmark of note.

The fabric of the woman's green dress swirled in the air currents. A monster approached, snarling and snapping. Beyond, through the shining opening in space and time, the artist could see a fallen man, another person kneeling at his side, and two other people huddled in front of the same dolmen he was now trying to paint.

The artist turned quickly to look behind him. The dolmen he had been painting hadn't moved. He turned back to look at the scene in front of him. It would be forever imprinted on his mind.

Paul-Henri watched. Using both hands, the woman brought the sword swinging through the air. The air shimmered and the anomaly closed. The creature fell. She let the weight of the sword rest on the ground beside her, holding it with only one hand. She stood there shivering.

Thinking the woman must be in shock, the young artist quickly pulled the blanket out from beneath his supplies. He approached the sword wielding woman cautiously. He spoke in the language of his time and place.

"Are you cold?"

When she didn't say anything, Paul-Henri wrapped the blanket around her shoulders. She still didn't say anything. Paul-Henri wondered for a moment what you were supposed to do when a beautiful young woman appears in front of you and slays a dragon.

He went back to his supplies and picked up the picnic basket. He returned to stand in front of the woman. Opening the basket, he held up a crusty baguette.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Pressing the bread into her open hand, he said "Here… eat."

The woman looked at the bread for a moment, and then took a bite. She stood there chewing, staring at Paul-Henri.

He reached into the basket again. He held out a chunk of cheese towards the woman. She tucked the baguette into the crook of her arm and took the cheese with her hand. The other hand remained on the sword.

Paul-Henri reached into the basket once more. This time, he held out a sprig of lavender.

"If you like," the young artist said with a smile.

The woman in the green dress smiled back at him. She dropped the sword on the ground and took the lavender from his hand.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

_A/N the woman in the green dress may be found in A Journey Begins chapter 18_


	14. Where and When

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Where and When

"_I watched you die."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter stared at the younger man in disbelief, Stephen was standing in front of him, dressed in ragged jeans and a t-shirt, dripping wet. Cutter's mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.

"Well no, you didn't," replied Danny. Jerking his thumb in Stephen's direction, the lanky man added "this Stephen is from a different timeline, and he's younger… or at least he was when I first met him. What year is this?"

A petite brunette answered Danny's question.

"It's 2009," replied Jess with a bright smile, "June ninth, almost ten o'clock at night… I mean… well of course you could tell that it's night… but in case you wanted to know the exact time…"

The young woman's voice trailed off under the scrutiny of the tall red haired man.

"Thank you love," replied Danny. "I don't remember seeing you at the ARC before. What's your name?"

"Oh I'm Jess," the young woman replied eager to please "and you wouldn't have seen me before… today's my first day… and I don't work at the ARC, I work for Mrs. Lester… it's a different set of buildings entirely…"

The young woman must have realized she was babbling, because Jess flushed and quit talking abruptly. Danny smiled. He looked around at the group in front of him.

Cutter was standing there staring at Stephen. Claudia was by his side. She was holding a floppy straw hat over her expanded abdomen.

Becker was holding what appeared to be a short sawed off shotgun in his right hand, not the usual rifle he preferred. Belatedly Danny wondered if the soldier was going to be upset about the loss of his favorite gun. Becker's his left arm was wrapped in a sling of some sort, but he was definitely alert and on guard.

Sarah was just past Becker, a young man that Danny didn't recognize was beside her. He stood with his arm around her shoulder protectively.

Another person Danny didn't recognize, a tall slender woman was to their right.

"So I've only been gone three days in this time," Danny mused "now the only question is whether I'm in the right time line or not."

"What?" a chorus of surprised voices asked.

"Well," replied Danny. "Jess just explained why I don't know her, it's her first day."

Danny nodded at the others in turn as he addressed them by name. "Cutter, Claudia, Becker and Sarah, I know," he continued "but the two of you… I don't remember."

Sarah spoke first. "Jamal and I broke up, just before you joined the team. That's why you don't remember seeing him."

"We're back together now," stated Jamal a trifle too loudly.

Danny chuckled as he watched Sarah turn to look at Jamal. The young man looked concerned for a moment, but then Sarah nodded and smiled at him. The relieved expression on Jamal's face was visible for everyone to see.

The tall slender woman stepped forward, looking at Danny curiously.

"I met you once before," she began "or I will meet you someday… I'm not really sure the best way to explain it…"

"Official secrets act Vivian," said Lester "you don't need to explain anything."

Everyone turned at the sound of Lester's voice. Their boss was walking down the slope from the road towards the water. Behind him a military SUV was parked. Armed soldiers followed Lester.

Danny raised one eyebrow as Lester stopped in front of him.

"I don't believe you've met my wife before," Lester said.

"No, don't believe I have," agreed Danny. He peered over Lester's shoulder at the approaching soldiers.

"Glad to see you Lester, but something else is a little different," said Danny "I don't remember such a resounding military presence before I left."

"We've got a new partnership with the military," remarked Lester smoothly. The unmistakable expression of distaste on his face as he emphasized the word partnership left no doubt as to what Lester thought of the new arrangement.

"It's partly in response to losing the three of you," added Lester, as he adjusted his cufflinks. "I don't suppose you know where Abby and Connor have gone to?"

In the sudden silence, Danny looked bleak.

"Stephen and I have been travelling for years now," Danny answered. "We got back to the Cretaceous once, found the tree where I left them, but nothing was there except the broken anomaly opening device, a stun grenade casing and Connor's cell phone."

He held up a small blue cell phone.

"That's not Connor's phone," objected Sarah.

"Of course it's Connor's," replied Danny "it still had power when I found it… checked the address book… Abby's the first name on the list."

"After the safe house, Connor and I went to get replacement cell phones together," insisted Sarah "we got the same type, mine is blue."

Danny shook his head. "So?"

"Connor complained that he liked blue too, but he wouldn't get the same color as me," continued Sarah "he said the way we leave phones out on the desks at work, we would be forever mixing them up. Connor's cell phone is black."

Danny looked at the cell phone in his hand. "Then whose phone is this?"

"I might be able to help with that," said Jess. She held out her hand expectantly. "If I may?"

Danny handed the young woman the cell phone. Jess turned to look at Sarah. "And may I have yours as well?"

The team watched as the young communications specialist removed the covers on both phones and swapped the sim cards. She then turned on Sarah's phone and began perusing the address book.

"Well whoever's phone this is," said Jess with a chuckle, "the person worked at the ARC… the number is on speed dial identified as WORK."

She continued going through the address book. "Is Beth Temple his mum's name?"

"No," replied Cutter, just as Jess shook her head.

"No," agreed Jess "there's another number labelled Mum."

"Beth is Connor's younger sister," said Vivian.

"Connor doesn't have a sister," replied Cutter sharply.

"He did in my timeline," answered Vivian. She turned to face Danny. "You've got Connor's cell phone, but it doesn't belong to the Connor Temple from this time line."

Cutter looked from Vivian to Danny.

"Years," said Professor.

"What?" asked Danny in confusion. For a moment there he wondered if the Professor had finally lost it.

"Just now, you said you'd been travelling for years," replied Cutter. "How long do you think you've been gone?"

Danny grinned and held up his long arm. The watch on his wrist gleamed in the moonlight.

"Bought this just before I joined the ARC," explained Danny "it's waterproof, shockproof, and has a solar battery guaranteed to last for ten years! According to this, it's been over four years since I left London… the date is August 10, 2013."

Cutter turned to Stephen. The younger man had been silently watching and listening to everything.

"And you," asked Cutter "you look younger… how old are you?"

"Well, that's really hard to say," began the young Stephen "I was twenty-two when the Cutter's and I began travelling through the anomalies… figure I must be close to twenty-seven by now… maybe a bit older."

"The Cutter's?" repeated the Professor questioningly, but before Stephen could say more Christine Johnson's voice rang out. The passenger side window of the military SUV was now rolled down.

"Debriefing needs to be done at the ARC," the woman demanded shrilly.

"Yes," agreed Lester pointing at his tie clip "where we can record everything."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby sat in between Jean and Louis on the bumpy ride to the village. Louis had arrived shortly after Percy driving another oxcart. Somehow, Percy, Jean and Louis had managed to assist Henri into the back of the ox cart. After getting the big man situated, getting Connor into the cart beside Henri was easy.

The road was rutted, missing stones in spots, and more uneven the closer they got to the village. When Abby asked Percy about it, he pointed at the river flowing nearby.

"It floods in the springtime," replied Percy with a shrug, "and the Romans aren't here anymore to maintain it."

Percy's comment reminded Abby of something he had said previously.

"You said Rome had been sacked," reminded Abby "I never was very good at history… do you have any idea when we are?"

"Rome's been sacked many times," replied Percy "so I don't really know, just recognize some of the names I see on old coins. We get most of our world news from wandering monks like Herman when they coming round preaching."

"Sounds like it might be the late fourth century," said Connor "or maybe early fifth."

"Well," replied Percy "maybe… maybe not."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor looked at the man who had once been the ARCs public relations consultant.

"What do you mean Percy?"

"It's just… when I left the ARC," explained Percy "I just wanted to get as far away from this whole time travel craziness as possible. Start my life over… that was my plan."

Connor chuckled. "And what happened to that plan?"

"There was a creature, and a woman who yelled run," sighed Percy "I was following her so close, I was through the anomaly before I even knew it."

"What was her name Percy?" asked Abby softly.

"Emily," said Percy with a wistful tone. "Her name was Emily. I travelled with Emily and a group of other people for a few years. All of us were lost in time. I just don't know if all of those people I met shared the same history."

Connor looked thoughtful, but Abby spoke up again.

"Where is she now?"

"Don't know," replied Percy "Emily took her friend Charlotte to a modern era for medical attention. I was supposed to go with Emily, but…"

"But what Percy?"

"A bloke named Ethan is what happened," growled Percy angrily. "He hit me over the head, when I came to, I found he had gone with Emily and Charlotte instead of me… they never came back."

"And you're here now?" asked Connor in surprise. "I would have thought you'd be trying to find her."

"I was trying to find her!" exclaimed Percy. "As soon as I woke up and the others told me where Emily had gone, I went straight to the anomaly… the anomaly that took Emily to the future… it brought me here."

"What?" exclaimed Connor "The same anomaly? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," replied Percy bitterly "it was just a few hours later, and the thing had spun around a time or too, but it was the same anomaly. And there hasn't been another one since until you two showed up."

Connor looked like he was going to ask more questions, but beside Abby, Jean suddenly spoke. He pointed forward. The high stone walls of the village were within sight.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy looked at his friends.

"Oh," he said "I almost forgot!" He spoke rapidly to Jean and Henri. Louis nodded his head, as if agreeing with Percy's words. Jean and Henri exchanged a glance, then they too nodded in agreement.

"What was all that about Percy," asked Abby suspiciously. "Are you plotting something?"

Percy nodded, his green eyes sparkled as he squinted in the bright morning sunlight.

"Making sure everyone knows our cover plan," Percy replied.

"What cover plan?" asked Connor.

"When Louis, the boy, Herman and I first went to the village," explained Percy "we told everyone about the dragon… that Herman killed."

"What?" asked Abby "Why did you tell them that? Wouldn't it be better for people to think Connor killed the dragon?"

"No! Abby, we don't want anyone to think Connor is a wizard," said Percy. Looking at the young scientist, Percy saw his wrist was still bare. "Where's your glove? We don't want anyone seeing your tattoo!"

"Dunno where my glove is," replied Connor looking around.

"I think we left it at the first camp," said Abby "I know I took it off when I checked your pulse, but I don't remember seeing it again."

"Never mind," hissed Percy "just cover up that tattoo!"

Abby pulled at the bottom of her torn T-shirt. She turned to Connor holding the strip of cloth in her hand and started to wrap it around his wrist. Percy sat straighter in his saddle, trying to appear brave and confidant as he rode through the high arched gate into the village.

"Percy," asked Abby "you didn't really mean that bit about the dungeon, did you?"

"Don't really know Abby," replied Percy "I've never had to tell the man I've lost his daughter before."

Abby's eyes widened in surprise as they entered the village gates. The heavy wooden gates sank back into the frame with a resounding thud. Abby thought they might or might not be going to a dungeon, but it sure sounded like the gates of a prison shutting.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	15. Expectancy

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Expectancy

"_I've never had to tell the man I've lost his daughter before."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby finished tying the cloth around Connor's wrist, but she didn't let go of his hand as the oxcart made its way towards the village center. People were crowding around the cart, staring at Abby and Connor. Percy stayed on the horse, until they reached the circular fountain. A source of water, explained Percy as he dismounted, was crucial for any village, especially if the villagers ever needed to shut the gates against intruders.

Jean spoke some words. Louis hopped down from the front of the cart. He stood there holding the reins, while several men came to help Jean lift Henri out of the ox cart. They carried the injured man into one of the nearby buildings surrounding the fountain. Henri, who had been silent for most of the ride to the village, was now shouting loudly.

Percy smirked.

"What's so funny?" asked Abby.

"Henri, he was fine all this time, the wounds aren't really deep," answered Percy "but now he says he's in pain… wants wine to stop the pain."

Percy's grin disappeared though when he caught sight of a man dressed in a dark blue tunic and black leggings. The man was making his way through the crowd towards them. He appeared older than most of the villagers, and walked slowly as if each step were painful. People fell back and made way for him to pass through the crowd.

In a moment, the man stood face to face with Percy. They exchanged words. Percy did most of the talking. The woman's father shook his head. He spoke to Percy, and then the man looked at Abby and Connor. He spoke again, then abruptly turned and limped away as if in a hurry to be gone.

"Percy," asked Connor "what did he say?"

Percy looked at Connor. "Um… he welcomed you to the village," began Percy. He shifted from one foot to the other as he spoke.

"Cut it out Percy," exclaimed Connor in annoyance. "What did he really say? How upset is he?"

"He said now he doesn't have to arrange a wedding," said Percy, "nor pay a dowry… so no worries there."

Abby remembered the eyes of the woman in the green dress. She thought it was no wonder the woman hadn't wanted to come to this village.

"No worries? That's horrible!" she asked indignantly "Percy, what kind of man could say such a thing?"

"Abby," sighed Percy shaking his head "you've got to quit thinking like you're in London. Life in these times is hard. Life expectancy… is way too short. That girl was his second wife's daughter. He has no other children."

"Are you saying the reason he's not upset," asked Abby "is because he's her stepfather? That's not right!"

"No Abby," answered Percy. "I'm saying children, and women especially, die young in this place, in this time. He cares. But he won't admit to any feelings, it would hurt too much. Surely you can understand that."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor stared at Percy. "He stared at us and then said something," reminded Connor "what did he say about us?"

Percy sucked in a deep breath before answering.

"He said winter will soon be here," answered Percy "and the village doesn't need anymore mouths to feed."

"What?" asked Abby. Moments before she'd been worried that they would have to stay in this village, now she was worried that they'd have to leave. "Connor can't walk. We can't leave now!"

"He agreed that the two of you can stay until Connor is able to walk," answered Percy "and I'll work on him. I'm sure I can convince him to let you stay."

"No," said Connor determinedly "we're not going to stay here. We're going to get home."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy looked at Connor. Once, Percy had hoped to get home too, but as years had passed he had come to believe he was stuck in this time and place. Seeing Abby and Connor brought back memories. But you couldn't live on memories, Percy thought.

"Right now Connor," replied Percy "why don't we get you into my home."

"Where do you live?" asked Abby.

Percy pointed at the same building into which the men had taken Henri.

"We share the upstairs," said Percy as he called Louis over to join him. Together the two men locked hands to wrists making a human sling.

"This is embarrassing," complained Connor.

"We'll get you upstairs, Jean wants to change your bandages," replied Percy "you can be embarrassed later.

"I don't remember getting the bandages," said Connor looking at his leg. "Abby… is that your camisole?"

"Back at the first camp," Abby explained "after you passed out, we put you in the cart and bandaged your leg again. Don't want it getting infected."

"But you'll get cold," protested Connor.

"There wasn't much else to use," said Percy, "and be glad we had a barrel of wine."

"What?" asked Connor.

"Poured wine on the fabric," chuckled Percy "burns need to be kept moist, or the fabric sticks to the skin and pulls it right off again."

Connor blanched.

"Who lives downstairs?" asked Abby, changing the subject as she followed the three men towards the door.

"That's where the livestock are kept," answered Percy as he pushed the door open with his leg.

Three goats, some chickens and a bony old cow greeted the new arrivals as they stepped inside the house.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny leaned back tilting his chair back on two legs. He reached his hands back behind his head and clasped them together as he stared at Christine Johnson. The woman's wheelchair had been pushed behind Lester's desk. As before, Johnson was attempting to usurp Lester's place in the ARC.

"Is this an interrogation then?" Danny asked indignantly. He looked past her, and the armed flunky in charge of pushing her wheelchair, to his friends.

Lester was standing with one arm crossed in front of his chest, while the fingers of his other hand rubbed the bridge of his nose. His eyes were closed, but whether from boredom or tiredness, Danny couldn't tell.

Professor Cutter was leaning against the wall, slouching actually. He too had his eyes closed.

Sarah was standing beside the professor, one hand was nervously twirling a strand of her long dark hair. She leaned her head back and yawned.

Becker was standing upright, alert. The sling holding his left arm was all that marred the perfect picture of a soldier standing in parade rest.

The others, Claudia, Vivian, Jess and Jamal had already gone. They didn't work for this branch of the ARC, and as Jamal had been quick to point out, he didn't work for the ARC at all.

Beside Danny, Stephen sat quietly. He was watching Johnson as if she were a new and dangerous creature. Danny wondered what Stephen was thinking about this new world he found himself in.

"Yes," replied the woman "I want to know where you've been, all the details, and how long you've been gone."

"Well here's the rub," replied Danny with a grin "I didn't have a map, so can't really tell you where I've been."

"But you do know how long you've been gone," pressed Johnson.

"Oh yeah," answered Danny, his eyes lighting up, "over four years."

Danny turned to look at Lester. "Do I get paid overtime for that?" he asked cheekily. "Or do I just get the next four years paid and time off since I've already worked it?"

Lester's eyes snapped open.

"Don't be ridiculous," replied Lester.

Christine Johnson might have tried to keep them there all night with her questions, but Lester continued talking.

"Christine," said Lester "I do hate to interrupt your work, but we have to go now. Everyone's tired and needs some rest."

"What?" she spluttered "No! We're just getting started."

"No, Christine," reminded Lester "Health and safety, you really can't expect people to work without sleeping."

She frowned. "I want everyone back here at eight sharp," she ordered.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny and Stephen followed Lester, Cutter, Sarah and Becker to the car park.

"I can't believe it," Danny chortled "after four years running through anomalies I can come home to my own flat, sleep in my own bed again."

Cutter looked at the young Stephen. "You're welcome to stay with my wife and I," he offered "until we figure out what to do about you."

"Uh…"

"No," answered Danny "he can stay with me, I've got plenty of room."

Cutter looked like he might argue, but his cell phone rang. He listened for a moment, eyes widening, and then he snapped the phone shut.

"I've got to get to the hospital," he said "Claudia's in labor."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	16. Family Matters

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Family Matters

"_Claudia's in labor"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester, Danny, Stephen, Sarah and Becker stared at Cutter. The professor absent mindedly thrust his cell phone back into his pants pocket, while the other hand nervously pushed his blonde hair back from his face. His eyes were wide open. Cutter turned to look at the cars in the ARCs parking lot.

"Well you're not driving yourself," observed Lester dryly "I take it Claudia has your car."

"No," replied Cutter slowly as Lester's words registered. He blinked, and then said "It was your wife that called, she drove Claudia to the hospital. I don't know where my car is, but I definitely need a ride."

The ensuing clamor of people volunteering to take Cutter to the hospital was finally brought to a halt by Lester.

"Becker, you're still supposed to be on light duty, you can't drive with your arm like that. Stephen, do you even have a driver's license? Danny… no, I've seen you drive," said Lester. "Sarah, would you kindly drive the SUV?"

Sarah took the keys from her boss. "You don't want to drive?" she questioned with a smirk.

"Don't be ridiculous," answered Lester "we'd never all fit in the jaguar."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Sarah drove quickly through the London streets. Lester was in the passenger seat beside her, the others were crammed into the back seats. The excited conversation during the drive was full of all sorts of personal questions and a few pointed driving instructions.

"I saw the sign," protested Sarah as a passing car blared its horn. "It was a yield, not a stop!"

"Do you know if the baby is going to be a boy or a girl?"

"Don't know," replied Cutter shortly, "don't really care as long as the baby is healthy and Claudia is alright."

As Sarah pulled the big SUV into the hospital parking lot, there was one more question.

"Have you picked any names out?" asked Danny.

Cutter looked from Danny to the young man sitting beside him.

"We only picked one," replied the Professor "Stephen if the baby is a boy, Stephanie if the baby is a girl."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby followed Percy and Louis as they carried Connor up the stairs. It was warm inside the stone building, she realized gratefully. Percy pushed open the door at the top of the stairs and they all entered the living area.

Smooth plaster covered the stone walls of the interior of the rectangular building. A fire was blazing brightly in the fireplace along the central wall of the home. Two narrow doors were on either side of the fireplace. One stood open. Henri could be heard talking loudly from inside his room. Jean's quiet response included a word that sounded an awful lot like no. The door to the other room was shut.

Percy and Louis carried Connor over to a wooden bench that was against the front wall. Narrow windows above the bench let some light into the room. Abby glanced out the window. She could see the village center and its fountain from here. Beyond the fountain, she could see a few more houses and the imposing stone wall that surrounded the village and the gate they had recently entered.

Louis said something to Percy, then disappeared back down the stairs.

"You can have my room Abby," said Percy. He pointed at the closed door. "Connor and I will kip on the floor here."

"Oh no Percy," replied Abby "I don't want to put you out of your room. I'll stay here with Connor."

Percy blinked at that comment. He might have said more, but Jean took that moment to appear through Henri's open door. Jean said something in the language of his time.

"He wants to change Connor's bandages," translated Percy.

Abby looked from Percy back to Jean again.

"Not unless he washes his hands first," insisted Abby.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor chuckled at Abby's comment.

"Nobody in this time knows about germs," he said.

Abby looked at Connor. He was pale, and the little tension lines across his forehead told her he was probably in pain, although he hadn't said anything about that.

"You're wrong," Abby replied "we know about germs."

Jean looked totally amazed when Percy translated Abby's request, but he grabbed a bucket and headed for the stairs.

"While we're waiting for Jean," asked Percy "do you want something to eat?"

"Oh yeah," agreed Connor "that would be awesome!"

Connor and Abby watched as Percy walked over to the huge chimney. Hanging from the rafters above the chimney were braided strings of garlic, bundles of herbs, and what looked liked smoked meats. Thatch could be seen above the rafters.

"I thought the roof was made of tiles," said Connor sounding puzzled as he looked at the thatch. "When we were outside… I really thought the building was made of stone… with a tiled roof."

"It is," answered Percy "but we put thatch in between the rafters and the tiles… it acts as insulation. Winters are cold here."

Beside the fire an earthenware container stood. Several additional containers stood just beyond it. Percy picked up a loaf of crusty bread sitting atop the largest container. He carried the bread and the smallest earthenware container to the wooden table in the center of the room.

"We've got bread and honey," offered Percy. "Or I could find some eggs if you like."

"The last thing I ate was a really awful energy bar," replied Connor. "Bread and honey sounds wonderful."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy watched as Jean rewrapped Connor's leg with fresh bandages. Connor and Abby had finished eating the bread by the time Jean had returned with a bucket of water and clean hands. Connor was still seated on the bench, but now he was leaning back against the wall with his eyes shut. His leg was stretched out long in front of him. Abby was kneeling beside Jean, watching every move Jean made intently.

The door opened. Louis and the boy entered the room. The two headed towards the table and started slicing more bread. Abby's eyes glanced at them briefly. Then she returned her gaze to Jean and Connor's leg. Percy smiled to himself. The petite blonde was hyper aware of her surroundings. She had noted the arrival of the others, dismissed them as a threat, and then returned to watching Jean. Percy wondered if Jean felt uncomfortable working under Abby's watchful presence.

Jean straightened up. He turned to Percy and spoke. Percy nodded and responded as the man rose and walked towards the door.

"He'll be back tomorrow," explained Percy as the door shut behind Jean "to check on Connor's leg."

Abby nodded. She then turned her gaze back to Louis and the boy. Abby regarded the two for a moment, and looked as if she was going to ask a question, but Connor spoke.

"You'd think it would smell," said Connor "like a barn every time that door is opened. But I don't smell anything, not really."

"We take care of our livestock," replied Percy "we depend on these animals, couldn't live without them. Stalls are cleaned and smelly items removed… added to the compost pile."

Connor chuckled. His eyes were still closed.

"We live more closely connected to the land and the creatures here," continued Percy. "Nothing is wasted. Organic farming is the only farming in this time and place."

"I think I would miss indoor plumbing and electricity," said Connor "pretty quickly."

"Yeah," added Abby. "It's getting dark in here… do you have candles or lamps?"

Percy pointed at the thatch above the rafters.

"Some people do use candles or oil lamps," he replied "but it is a fire hazard. Usually I just go to bed when it's night."

Abby nodded in agreement. She was tired after the events of the last several days. Percy pointed at several pallets rolled up like yoga mats leaning in the corner.

"Louis and the boy live here too," said Percy "which is why I thought you should have my room. Give you a bit of privacy. The rest of us gents can sleep on pallets in front of the fire."

"No!" exclaimed Abby "I need to watch Connor… he's injured…"

"I'm not going to break Abby," said Connor opening his eyes to look at her. "I'll be fine."

"No," insisted Abby "we need to stay together."

In the end, Abby got her way. Percy and Louis helped Connor into the small bedroom. The crude four post frame was lashed together with ropes which held a straw filled mattress off the floor. Connor was settled into the bed. Percy and Louis left the two alone, but Percy returned in a moment with a lidded container.

"Chamberpot," he explained. "Just in case…"

Percy started to leave again, but then stopped.

"Oh, and part of our cover story now," said Percy "if anyone asks, you two are married."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	17. Wonders

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Wonders

"…_if anyone asks, you two are married."_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby stared at Percy. The fireplace in the corner of the room gave off a dim light. There were no windows in the small room. Behind her, she heard Connor shifting on the bed. She started unlacing her boots.

"Connor and I don't even know how to speak the language," said Abby. "We can't tell anyone anything. And if we did, why would we want to say we were married? Why do we have this cover story anyway?"

"Abby, do you really want to tell people you're from the future?" asked Percy.

"Of course not," answered Abby. She set her boot at the foot of the bed, next to Connor's boots.

"You were found on the road," reminded Percy. "This is a dangerous time. And a dangerous beast was killed."

"Yeah," said Abby nodding her head "I know. I was there when the raptor tried to eat us!"

"You don't understand!"

"Try explaining it to me then!"

Percy sighed.

"Since Rome was sacked," he explained "there have been invaders, barbarians, even the remnants of soldiers from long forgotten wars. You saw that wall around the village. Right?"

"Yeah."

"It's meant to keep dangerous people out," Percy said. "A wizard, capable of slaying a dragon… dangerous. Do you understand?"

Abby nodded slowly. She removed her second boot and set it on the floor beside the first.

"Herman, is a monk, he travels about… preaching love and peace," continued Percy. "If Herman kills a dragon, it's because his God was on his side… and if his reputation as a dragon slayer keeps him safe on his travels, even better."

Abby nodded again.

"So you're trying to keep Herman safe," Abby said "that's why the cover story about the raptor…"

"Abby," interrupted Percy "I'm also trying to keep you and Connor safe. In this time and place, strangers… they're not always accepted… and wizards… they're really strange."

Abby opened her mouth, to say something more, but Percy continued speaking.

"You're not in London Abby," said Percy as he moved out of the room. "And in this village, if a man and a woman share a room, they're married."

"I'm getting really tired of hearing that we're not in London," Abby grumbled as the door shut behind Percy.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor moved again behind Abby. She turned to look at him. In the flickering light of the fire, he appeared to be trying to get out of the bed. He put his left foot on the floor.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked "We only just now got you into that bed."

"I am getting out of bed," Connor answered. He hissed in pain as he put his right foot next to the first. "I'm gonna sleep on the floor, so you can have the bed."

"Don't be ridiculous," said Abby.

"Abby," said Connor, "you're not my girlfriend. And if we were in London, we both know you wouldn't be in bed with me."

Abby blinked at his words. As many times as she had said Connor wasn't her boyfriend, she'd never realized how harsh it sounded. Hearing Connor throw the phrase back at her like that brought a lump to her throat.

"We've slept together before," she reminded him, "falling asleep on the sofa with the telly on, in that tree, and last night your head was in my lap while we rode in the cart."

"It's not the same thing at all," replied Connor. "And it might be weird to sleep in a bed together."

The stress Connor placed on the word weird reminded Abby of the conversation they'd had in Lester's flat. Was it only three days ago, she wondered?

"It might not be weird," Abby whispered softly.

Connor froze in place. Abby watched him closely. Maybe it was just that she couldn't see very well in the flickering firelight, but she couldn't tell if he was even breathing.

"It might be wonderful," she whispered again, "but I don't want to lose my best friend."

"Abby," said Connor in a strangled tone "I don't want to lose my best friend either."

"Then stay," said Abby putting a small hand on his chest and pushing him back down on the bed. Connor winced as he moved his bandaged leg over to the far side of the tiny bed.

"I'm not sure if I'm up to wonderful," chattered Connor as he watched Abby pull his red hooded sweatshirt over her head. She hung the sweatshirt on the hook on the wall, next to his black jacket. "Not feeling a hundred percent you know…"

He stopped talking as Abby removed her torn t-shirt. Connor watched her every movement as she dropped the shirt on the floor. The bra soon followed the t-shirt, then Abby began to wriggle out of her pants. Pants and panties both soon joined the pile of clothing on the floor. Abby climbed into the bed, bringing her lips to meet Connor's in a slow, deep kiss before she began to remove the remainder of his clothing.

They both soon found out what he was up for, and it was wonderful.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy grinned as he pulled the bedroom door shut behind him and went to lay down on his pallet by the fire.

When he had been at the ARC, there had been an ongoing betting pool as to whether Abby and Connor would ever actually get together. Percy remembered Becker joking once that someone ought to lock Abby and Connor in a room until they sorted themselves out.

In a way, Percy had just done that.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester's wife was sitting in the waiting room when Cutter, Lester, Danny, Stephen, Sarah and Becker arrived.

Cutter headed in the direction of the labor and delivery room. A nurse stopped him from barging into the room and led him over to an antechamber where he was able to get scrubbed and put on a sterile gown. He disappeared behind the swinging doors, leaving the rest of the team to wait.

Lester sat down next to his wife. He reached a hand over to clasp hers.

"It's not so long ago," Lester whispered quietly "that we were the ones in there."

Vivian smiled at him. She entwined her fingers with his and squeezed tightly. Across the tile floor, Becker was leaning against the wall. Danny plopped down into one of the uncomfortable stiff green plastic coated chairs in the waiting room. Young Stephen sat down beside him, while Sarah sat on Danny's other side. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at it, then snapped it shut and tossed it back into the big brown hobo bag she carried.

"It's Wednesday already," Sarah sighed. "Almost 2 am."

"You lot can go home," said Lester "I'll stay, let you know tomorrow at work…"

"No!" exclaimed Sarah. "I'm waiting… I want to know that Claudia and the baby are alright. Besides," she added "I don't really fancy going into the ARC if Christine Johnson is running the show."

"Same goes for me," said the usually reserved Captain.

Danny looked from Becker to Sarah. He had only been gone for three days from their lives, but it had been four years for him. Danny chuckled. There might have been a couple changes in those three days, but he was sure that he was home. Danny looked across the waiting room to where Lester and his wife were sitting.

"I was wondering," said Danny "since we are just sitting around… waiting, if you'd explain what you said back at the park."

"What?" asked Vivian. "I don't remember, what did I say?"

"You said something about having met me before," reminded Danny "or maybe it was… you will me meet."

"Oh… yes," began Vivian.

"Vivian," cautioned Lester, squeezing her hand tightly, "you don't have to explain anything."

"I know," she agreed quietly "but James… in light of what we've learned, perhaps I should."

"What have we learned?" asked Danny. "I might have missed that…"

"Cutter's prediction…" said Vivian, shaking her head in amazement "It worked… it really worked. An anomaly map is possible. That's the first thing we learned."

"Go on," urged Danny.

"We waited from day light at the Park, all day yesterday…" explained Vivian. "There were forty-seven anomalies that morning. They flickered and then disappeared without opening. Then there was another one, big enough for a spinosaurus… it did the same thing… and so did the next one hundred and fifteen anomalies… until your anomaly… it actually opened."

"I know," said Danny "I was there."

"But don't you see… the second thing we've learned..." Vivian exclaimed "all those different possibilities…"

"The universe is an amazing thing," said Cutter as he walked into the room holding a tiny pink bundle. "Full of wonders…"

Sarah jumped up from her seat, followed by Danny, Stephen, and the Lesters. Becker straightened up from his post on the wall and joined the crowd gathering around the Professor.

"And this one is named Stephanie Elaine Cutter."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	18. Possibilities

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Possibilities

"_The universe is an amazing thing__…"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester pulled his sleek silver auto into the car park at the ARC. He stepped out and straightened his tie before marching into the building. Idling in her car at the curbside across the street, Vivian observed the approach to the ARC.

The tall soldier was the next team member to arrive at the ARC. He must have taken the tube thought Vivian, as she watched his long stride bring him quickly up the sidewalk towards the building. The white wrappings holding his left arm in place looked starkly out of place against the black uniform he wore. Vivian turned and nodded to the dark haired young woman seated beside her.

"That's Becker," ordered Vivian "you remember, from the Park yesterday. Go get him."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker was almost at the outside security entrance to the ARC when he realized that someone was following him. He pivoted quickly to face whatever threat might be stalking him. Becker startled the petite brunette on the sidewalk behind him. She was standing with one arm stretched out as if to tap him on the shoulder. Becker's sudden movement caused her to jump. Her impossibly high heels caused her to stumble and spin.

The soldier instinctively reached forward. His left arm stayed wrapped to his chest, but his right arm caught the beautiful young woman. The sudden weight of the slender woman on his arm brought him to his knees, but he held her up, kept her from crashing to the pavement.

"I don't usually do a dip like this," the woman said looking up into his eyes with a bright smile "unless I'm on the dance floor."

For a moment, Becker couldn't think of a word to stay. He just wanted to gaze into the depths of those eyes… forever. But then she was in a standing position, dusting off her fuchsia dress, so he pulled himself erect.

"No dance floor around here," Becker replied hoping his voice didn't sound as regretful as he thought it might.

"I'm Jess," she introduced herself. She continued, speaking rapidly. "And you're Becker… but of course you already know that… and we did meet yesterday… at the Park, but we weren't properly introduced. Mrs. Lester said for me to bring you… you don't want to go into the ARC today."

She turned to walk away, obviously expecting Becker to follow. His feet moved on their own accord, but his mind did catch up. He stopped walking.

"Who did you say you were?" asked Becker looking at her with a puzzled expression.

The young woman turned to look over her shoulder at the wounded warrior.

"Jess," she replied "communications specialist… for the other ARC."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Christine Johnson was furious. Lester had marched into the building like he always did, as if he owned the place. Christine had claimed his office as her own, taken over his desk, and he just smiled that infuriating little smirk of his and looked at his fingernails.

"Hmm," said Lester "need a bit of a trim."

"You'll need more than a bit of a trim James," hissed Christine through tightly clenched teeth "if you don't hand over those keys."

Lester looked directly at her then, widening his green eyes as if in surprise.

"The keys?" he asked in a disinterested tone, as if this was the first time he had ever heard of such a thing. "Which keys are you talking about?"

"The file room keys!" Christine exclaimed.

"Christine, really," chided Lester "you shouldn't let yourself get so upset over little things. The keys are on the hook behind my office door… right where they always are."

"The keys weren't there yesterday," snarled the angry woman as her aide swung the door away from the wall to reveal the keys. Lester's disdainful expression at her comment was to cover his inward chuckles. For once in her life, Christine was right. The keys hadn't been there yesterday, they'd been in Lester's pocket.

Christine's aide handed her the keys, then pushed her wheel chair out the office door. They would soon find an empty file room. Danny and Stephen had removed the few actual hardcopy files of pertinent information last night after leaving the hospital. Danny hadn't lost his touch on breaking and entering.

Lester walked over to the computer and typed in the password that allowed him to access the ARCs electronic files. A few quick keystrokes and the files were being sent to an external storage device… and being wiped from the ARCs database. He moved away from the computer as the sound of Christine's increasingly loud and strident complaints announced her impending return.

If anything, Christine looked more furious.

"The room's been ransacked," she growled.

"Really?" asked Lester, sounding surprised. "Tsk tsk… you must do something about your security issues."

"My security," the angry woman spluttered "it was your security!"

"No," said Lester withdrawing an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit. "You took control of the ARC… and its security… yesterday," he reminded the woman.

He set the envelope down on what had once been his desk.

"And I, along with my staff, have been reassigned," said Lester sounding a trifle bored.

He looked at his hand again, running his thumb across the fingertips.

"If you'll excuse me now," added Lester "I must be going."

Lester didn't bother to watch the woman scramble to grab the envelope. Nor did he watch as she tore it open, read the contents, and glared at his departing figure. Lester strode out of the building in the same imperious manner that he had entered the ARC.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter rubbed his sleepy eyes. Who on earth would be pounding on his door at this hour… okay… nine o'clock in the morning might not be the most ungodly time ever, but he'd been up all night. He opened the front door.

"Sarah," asked Cutter in surprise "what are you and Jamal doing here?"

"Didn't Lester tell you," responded Sarah as she pushed her way past him into the hall "we're all supposed to meet here."

Nick turned to watch Sarah lead Jamal into the living room where the anomaly research map was standing in all its freeform glory, soaring and spiraling across the room. He started to follow the two of them. Sarah was explaining the project to Jamal.

"Who's all?" Cutter asked. Sarah's words had finally penetrated his sleep fogged mind.

"Well gov," replied Danny cheekily as he entered the open door behind the professor, followed by young Stephen, "I imagine that would be us."

Cutter looked out the door as the two men walked past him to join Sarah and Jamal. Mrs. Lester's jaguar was pulling up to the curb. It looked like she had Becker and the new communications specialist… what was her name… Jess, with her. All he needed now, thought Cutter, was Lester… and Abby and Connor.

"You know," the Professor said as he turned back towards the living room "I'm supposed to pick up Claudia and Stephanie this afternoon... bring them home. I don't think we need all this commotion here."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby woke to the sound of the hearth log breaking apart in the fireplace. She turned her head, blinked her blue eyes, and looked over her shoulder as the fire crackled and sent sparks soaring up the chimney. Probably need to put another log on the fire, she thought… but later. Right now, she wanted to snuggle under the covers some more.

She turned her gaze back to the man she was currently using as a pillow. Dark brown hair fell across his forehead, his eyes were closed, his mouth partially open. Abby listened to his breathing, feeling his chest slowly rise and fall, as she remembered last night.

_Connor had been even more nervous than she had been. He was worried at first that he wouldn't please her. Then, when she got his black pants off and tossed them on top of her clothes, he had panicked about something else. _

"_Forgot," he said, "in my wallet… I carry some protection." _

_For a moment, Abby hadn't understood what he meant, but then she realized his concern._

"_Connor," she whispered softly as she nuzzled his ear, "don't worry, it's alright."_

"_Abby," he protested as she kissed her way across his jaw and down his throat, "I don't want to risk you getting pregnant."_

"_I won't," she promised "I've got one of the miracles of the twenty-first century with me… implantable birth control."_

"_What?" was Connor's last coherent comment as she stroked her hand down his chest._

Abby licked her lips. Then her blue eyes opened wide as she realized the full impact of Connor's statement. She shoved Connor as she pushed her way into a sitting position.

"Mmmph?!"

"Connor Temple," asked Abby indignantly "how long have you been carrying condoms in your wallet?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor blinked his sleepy eyes and tried to jump start his sleep befuddled brain. Abby was speaking to him… asking him something… he blinked again. Last night… it hadn't been a dream… and now, Abby was still here… beside him… asking about his wallet. Connor's brain clicked on.

"Since hygiene class," Connor answered "year nine."

Abby's rage was gone as quickly as it had come. She snorted, putting her hand over her mouth, as she tried to hold back her laughter.

"What were you thinking?" asked Connor innocently.

Abby turned her head away from Connor to face the fireplace again.

"I'm thinking the fire needs another log," Abby answered, not really answering his question, "but I don't want to get out from under the covers. It's cold."

Connor drew in his breath at the sight of Abby. The firelight behind her gave her skin a golden glow. He brought his hand up to cup the side of her face.

"Lay back down. I'll have to crawl over you," he said "to get another log."

"Don't be ridiculous Conn," replied Abby as she quickly slipped out from beneath the covers. She reached for another log from the basket by the fireplace. "But I expect you to warm me back up when I get back in the bed."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy had been up since the first rays of sunlight peaked through the narrow window in the front room. He, Louis and the boy had fed and watered the animals, mucked out their stalls, and brought fresh buckets of water into the house. Louis had then taken the boy to go check their trap line.

In the other room, Henri was grumbling, trying to get out of the bandages that Jean had wrapped around his chest. Percy told Henri to wait… Jean would be here soon. In the meantime, Percy sat himself on the bench and stared across the tiny village that had been his home for the past ten years.

Abby and Connor were here, lost in time with him. Percy knew that Lester, Cutter and the ARC's team would be doing everything possible to get Abby and Connor back. Percy hadn't thought about London in years. Percy wondered, was it possible for all of them to go back to the twenty-first century?

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	19. Together

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Together

"_All he needed now__…"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Mrs. Lester agreed with Cutter for once.

The women had left her car and walked quickly to the Cutter residence, her stilettos making little clicking sounds on the pavement.

"You're right," said Vivian. The tall slender woman in the gray dress nodded at Cutter in agreement. "We don't need all this commotion here… which is why we're relocating."

"What?" asked the Professor.

Cutter looked from Mrs. Lester to the young woman in the brightly colored dress that had come to stand beside her. Looking at the two women, Cutter felt decidedly scruffy in his rumpled t-shirt and jeans. Becker was still outside the house. Standing on the sidewalk, the Captain looked first one way and then the other. Keeping watch.

Vivian reached into her voluminous black purse and pulled out a camera. She handed it to Jess and pointed down the hallway to the living room.

"Take pictures of the entire anomaly map," Mrs. Lester instructed "before we move anything."

"What?" asked Cutter suspiciously. "Who gave you permission to move anything?"

Cutter watched as the tall, slender brunette started to follow Jess down the hall. He reached for Vivian's arm, stopping her. She looked at him, her nose narrowed as she breathed in sharply.

"You can't come barging into my home," said Cutter, his brogue rolling stronger with each indignant word "and take my work… without an explanation."

"Since Christine Johnson and her brand of military intervention have taken over the ARC," huffed Mrs. Lester "I've been able to get you reassigned… to a different department… my department, the Anomaly Research Center for Humanity."

Cutter stared at Lester's wife. Nick knew that Claudia loved her work, but was bringing the two groups together so abruptly a good thing, he wondered.

"ARCH?" asked Sarah.

The dark haired woman had moved out of the living room, to give Jess a clear view of the anomaly research map. Sarah was leaning against the white painted doorframe. The tan colored jacket Sarah was wearing stood out in sharp contrast to the white wood. Sarah had heard every word of Cutter and Mrs. Lester's discussion.

Mrs. Lester looked at her. She raised her eyebrows disdainfully and said "Let's not do acronyms now please."

"Well what are we doing?" asked Becker impatiently.

Cutter jumped. The soldier was standing right behind Cutter. He knew the ARCs head of security had been outside, but Cutter had forgotten about him in his confrontation with Vivian.

"We're getting the anomaly research model out of here," said Vivian "before Christine Johnson and her group get their hands on it. We're going to use it to find where Abby and Connor have gone."

"I thought you said an anomaly map was impossible," said Cutter, his eyes twinkling, a grin beginning to spread across his face.

"It is impossible," replied Vivian "when I'm from… but here… the anomaly map apparently works."

"So you will admit," the Professor pressed "that Dr. Page's and my theories combining paleontology, archeology, history and myth provide a rational explanation for the occurrence of anomalies and…"

"James said you were brilliant," said Vivian, cutting his words off, "and impossible. He forgot to mention long winded."

She pretended to glare at the Professor for another moment, her dark eyes smoldering, dark brown hair cascading in soft waves over her shoulders. Then she smiled, dimples showing.

"The only thing I'll admit," concluded Vivian "is that we need to get Abby and Connor home."

She turned abruptly and walked past Sarah into the living room.

"She's right about that," said Becker. "But how?"

"That's what we're going to find out," replied Cutter following Vivian into his living room.

Jess had been meticulously taking photographs the entire time they had been talking. Snap a picture, step to the side, repeat. Jess had slowly made her way across the living room.

Danny sat sprawled across the sofa. He had sat down in order to get out of Jess's way. Young Stephen was beside him, leaning forward, staring at the spiraling contraption in wonder.

"We need to start taking it apart," ordered Vivian "quickly now."

"Where do you plan to reassemble it?" asked Cutter. "You'll need a bigger space it's really too cramped in my living room… we need a room with a higher ceiling."

"I haven't found a suitable location yet," admitted Vivian "but we need to get it out of here before Johnson comes for it. Can't use our offices… Johnson might come there too. There's a warehouse… it's a possibility…"

"What about Abby and Connor's flat?" asked Sarah. "I've got the spare key… Jamal and I have been taking care of Rex and Abby's other pets while they've been gone."

Everyone turned to look at the dark haired doctor of archeology. She reached a hand up to her hair and flipped the long strands over her shoulder.

"Well, the ceiling is high enough for Rex to fly around," said Sarah. "And since Abby and Connor are gone, no one else should be going around there.

"I thought you didn't like snakes," said Becker.

Sarah shuddered.

"I really don't like snakes," Sarah admitted. She pointed to her boyfriend. "Jamal feeds them."

"Would you like to take the diictodons too?" asked Vivian.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

An hour later, the anomaly research model was disassembled and loaded into the vehicle that Danny had acquired from somewhere. Mrs. Lester had looked startled when they had started taking the equipment outside and Danny had pointed out the white panel van.

"It's always a white panel van," Vivian murmured.

"What?" asked Cutter.

"Nothing," Vivian replied. "Remember, when Johnson gets here, you don't know anything about the anomaly research model, or where the rest of us have gone…"

"Yeah," said Cutter "I'm on paternity leave and Claudia is on maternity leave. The only important thing is Claudia and Stephanie. I know that."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby pulled Connor's fingerless glove out from beneath her pants. She wondered briefly how it had managed to get there, and then set it on the bed. Sliding her slender legs over the edge of the bed and into the pants, she quickly stood and pulled them up. Abby grabbed her top, slipped it on, and then she reached for Connor's red hooded sweatshirt.

"Do you want this?" the blue eyed blonde asked Connor.

"You keep it," replied Connor with a grin. "It looks better on you."

The sweatshirt was soft and warm and smelled just a little like Connor, thought Abby as she gratefully pulled it over her head. She opened her eyes as the garment settled on her body. Connor was sitting up in the bed. He picked up the fingerless glove and was holding it in his hand. The tattoos on both exposed wrists were readily visible, even in the dim light of the dying fire.

Abby had seen the tattoos before, but had never asked Connor about them.

"Why do you suppose," Abby asked, pointing down at his wrist, "that Percy's friends thought that tattoo meant you were a wizard of some sort?"

"Well, it's written in Elvish," replied Connor in a matter of fact tone of voice.

"What?" asked Abby as she picked his pants up off the floor and tossed them at Connor.

"Me mates… Tom and Duncan…" reminded Connor, pushing the pants to one side, "we all went out to see one of the Lord of the Rings movies… wound up getting tattoos afterwards."

Abby leaned over and grabbed his wrist. She traced her finger over the swirling, arcing symbols etched across Connor's wrist. He shivered.

"I was a bit drunk," admitted Connor. "Told the tattoo artist that I wanted me girlfriend's name…"

"Your girlfriend's name?" asked Abby. She looked closer at the tattoo. If that was a name, she couldn't tell. Connor shook his head.

"No. The artist said he couldn't do that… wouldn't do names," explained Connor "but he could do this… love for all time…"

Privately Abby thought the tattoo looked more like a Celtic tattoo that her friend Edie had between her shoulder blades, but Abby just nodded.

"It hasn't worked out too well so far," sighed Connor.

"What do you mean?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor looked at Abby.

"Well I haven't always had the best of luck with women," confided Connor. "That girlfriend… she dumped me, told me to go on to uni where I belonged."

"Oh Conn," said Abby. She sat down beside him on the bed. She leaned into him, reaching her arm around his waist.

"My next girlfriend kept throwing things," continued Connor. "Our landlord called the coppers…"

Abby stiffened. Had she heard Connor correctly?

"Did you say our landlord?" asked Abby.

"Yeah," answered Connor drawing the fingerless glove up over his wrist.

"You lived with someone?"

Connor nodded. He turned and began feeling around on the bed, searching for something. Abby drew back, staring at Connor. He finally found the piece of cloth Abby had torn from her t-shirt the day before. Connor held it up triumphantly and turned to face Abby. His smile faltered and fell from his face in the force of her glare.

"What have I done?"

"Why did you tell me you'd been carrying condoms in your wallet since hygiene class, year nine?" demanded Abby.

"Because I have," answered Connor. He looked at her in confusion for a moment, then his eyes widened. "You didn't think I meant the same one from year nine, did you?"

Abby swallowed. Well, she had wanted to think that… but really…

"How long have you been carrying that particular condom around?" asked Abby.

"Abby," asked Connor "does it make a difference?"

Abby opened her mouth, and then closed it again. Did it make a difference, she wondered. She had a past, and so did Connor. What was really important Abby decided was whether or not they had a future. She blinked, and realized that Connor was staring at her in concern.

"Abby," asked Connor "are we still friends?"

"Yeah Conn," said Abby.

Her bottom lip wobbled just a bit, but she tried to smile and not let him know how his question affected her.

"We're friends first and always," answered Abby "and lovers… for now."

Connor nodded. He reached for her hand. Connor still had the piece of cloth from Abby's t-shirt in his hand. With his other hand, he drew the cloth over their clasped hands, looping it around, as if he were tying their hands together.

"I don't always believe in marriages or pieces of paper, and sometimes I'm not really sure about forever," said Connor softly "but as long as you'll have me… I'm yours."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy greeted Abby as she opened the bedroom door. The bright light of afternoon was shining through the front windows. Abby blinked.

"About time!" he exclaimed "I was beginning to think you were going to sleep all day."

"It's dark in the bedroom," stammered Abby "didn't realize the time."

She held up the chamberpot.

"Where do I dump this?"

"Out back of the house," directed Percy "there's a sluice off the main aqueduct that keeps the sewer channel running… keeps the village clean."

"When I get back," Abby asked "will you help me get Connor over to the bench?"

"If he can put any weight on his legs," said Percy "I can help him do that now." He rose from the bench as Abby started down the stairs.

When Abby returned, Connor was sitting on the bench. The black jacket loosely covered his chest. The torn black jeans and white bandages on his calf peeked out beneath the edge of the table. Percy was watching intently as Connor opened the rucksack. Connor took out first the powerless anomaly opening device and then the stomped on anomaly opening device.

"I'm not sure how these tools work," sighed Connor, "but if I can fix them… we can go home."

"I'd like that," agreed Percy. "I've got a bet to collect."

Abby and Connor exchanged a glance. His eyes were wide. Silently he shook his head and mouthed I never said anything. She smirked.

"You're not going to collect Percy," replied Abby. "Sarah wins that bet… she always said we were already together."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	20. One Step At A Time

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 One Step At A Time

"… _and lovers… for now__"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby watched Connor. He was sitting on the bench, leaning back against the wall with his bandaged leg stretched out long in front of him. Connor's eyes were closed, and his teeth were clenched tight. Jean was carefully unwinding the bandage from Connor's calf just as he had done yesterday.

The burn was getting better, Abby could see that, but she knew Connor's leg still hurt. Connor had spent most of his day sitting at the bench tinkering with the disassembled anomaly opening devices.

"I opened the anomaly to the Cretaceous," said Connor "then the raptor… or maybe Henri stepped on the anomaly opening device."

"Yeah Conn," replied Abby.

Connor still had his eyes shut and he was talking perhaps more to distract himself from what Jean was doing to his leg, than to her.

"I just don't know," said Connor "how the second anomaly opened."

"What do you mean?"

"I've taken apart both anomaly opening devices," answered Connor "the broken one is smashed beyond repair… and the other is powerless. Neither one of them could have opened that second anomaly."

"Connor, we've had anomalies opening for years," began Abby "before we ever knew such a thing as an anomaly opening device was even possible. It probably just opened on its own."

"Really Abby?" asked Connor "Do you really believe that? I don't. I think the world is full of connections…"

Connor hissed sharply as Jean removed the last piece of the bandage on his leg. The man murmured something to Connor.

"Connections Connor?" asked Abby trying to distract him "I doubt it… the world is full of random events. Some of them are pretty horrible, and none of it makes any sense. One person wins the lottery, another person gets run over by a bus."

Connor didn't say another word until Jean finished wrapping the fresh bandage on his leg. The gaunt man said something to Connor, and then rose to stand. Connor responded with a word. A slow smile crossed Jean's weathered face, the man nodded and turned to go down the stairs.

"What did you say?" asked Abby.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor opened his eyes. He gave Abby a crooked smile.

"I'm not sure if I'm pronouncing it exactly right," replied Connor "but Percy told me that word means thank you."

"Trying to connect, are you?" asked Abby with a smirk.

"Me Gran always told me to remember me manners," said Connor. "Mum and I moved in with her when I was seven… we lived with her for a while… right after my father got run over by a bus."

Abby's blue eyes grew huge.

"Oh my God Connor," said Abby "I never meant… how awful…"

"It's okay Abs," replied Connor "I never told you… you couldn't have known…"

In the silence, Abby remembered all the times Connor had spoken of his mother and grandmother. He'd never mentioned his father before.

"We went to London," said Connor "I don't remember why. They were in the front seat of the car. I was buckled in the middle of the back seat."

"What happened?'

"Some people walked into the street… the bus driver tried to miss them… he crossed the center lane," replied Connor "just as my Dad pulled the car around the corner. Dad was killed instantly."

"Oh Connor…"

"Actions have consequences," continued Connor after a few moments. "Maybe in another time and place, my Mum would have said she was tired and didn't want to go to London that day. But in this life, we went to London."

"Were you or your mother injured?"

Connor blinked.

"Mum was expecting," he said quietly. "She was badly hurt, and the baby… my baby sister… died."

Abby reached to put her hand upon his shoulder. Connor bent his arm upwards to clasp her hand in his. He gave her a crooked smile.

"I wasn't injured in the collision," Connor continued "but living with me Gran for the next several years… no telly… had to read every day… scarred me for life."

Abby tried to smile back at his feeble attempt at a joke. Was this where all his lame jokes started from she wondered? Did Connor use humor to hide pain?

"What about your parents?" asked Connor. "I know you told me Jack was all the family you had, but you must have had parents."

"Yeah Conn," chuckled Abby "I had parents… if you can call them parents…"

"What happened to them Abby?"

"Oh… you know… they married young, had me and Jack… fought all the time," said Abby "got divorced… fought even more… we used to go to the bus stop to meet my father…"

Abby stopped speaking, her eyes grew huge again.

"They used to argue," she whispered "I remember once they were screaming at each other in the middle of the street… the bus went right past them… crashed into something… you don't suppose…"

Connor gave her hand a squeeze as he chuckled.

"Don't be ridiculous. I said I believe in connections," Connor replied "but no… I don't think your parent's and mine were involved in the same accident."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy came in the door just then, followed by an auburn haired woman. The woman was pregnant and carrying a toddler.

"Who's this?" asked Abby.

"Henri's wife," replied Percy as the woman turned and went into the bedroom.

"Where has she been all this time?" asked Connor.

"She leaves when Herman comes to the village," explained Percy.

"Why?"

Percy drew in a breath, and looked from Connor to Abby.

"It's complicated," said Percy. "Herman he's a gentle soul… really believes what he preaches… but… that belief… is part of why Agneta leaves when Herman is here."

"What do you mean?" asked Connor.

"Herman represents one belief system," answered Percy. "Agneta… she represents another belief system… sometimes… they argue."

Abby nodded as she listened to Percy.

"Herman wants to do a wedding for Agneta and Henri," explained Percy. "Agneta believes that since she and Henri already had a hand fasting ceremony, not to mention a child, and soon to be another one, she's already married."

Abby's eyes widened. She turned to stare at Connor.

"What's a hand fasting ceremony?" asked Abby, turning to stare at Connor. "And how is it different from a wedding?"

"For Herman's type of wedding ceremony ownership is implied," answered Percy "the woman is given to her husband… sometimes there is a dowry… and she usually changes her family name."

"A hand fasting ceremony is a union between two equals," said Connor quietly "but it's only real if both people want it to be real."

Connor grabbed the staff leaning on the wall beside him and used it to push off the bench. When he was standing, Connor turned to Percy.

"Would you give me a hand?" Connor asked "I think I need to lie down."

Abby watched Percy help Connor back into the bedroom she had shared with Connor last night. She remembered some of the quiet whispered words they had shared in that room.

Connor had used the L word several times. The only time Abby had used that word, was when she had answered his question about whether they were still friends. And Abby remembered… she hadn't answered at all when Connor had said "but as long as you'll have me… I'm yours."

Had she missed something, Abby wondered… something important?

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter picked up Claudia and little Stephanie from the hospital later that afternoon. Instead of going directly home, he drove his family over to Abby and Connor's flat. Lester and his wife, Danny, Stephen, Becker, Sarah, her boyfriend Jamal, and Jess, the newest addition to the team, were working hard to reassemble the anomaly research model.

It was the first time in ages, thought Cutter, that they were all actually working together. He started to say so, when he realized that Danny was holding his finger to his mouth in a shushing motion.

Danny and Becker approached Cutter, Claudia and little Stephanie. Danny began to pat down the Professor, while Becker was intently going over the Stephanie's little carry seat. The soldier gently lifted the baby's blankets and felt underneath the padded cushion. He withdrew a small black device and held it up for Cutter and Claudia to see. As Becker carried the gadget over to the table, Danny motioned for Cutter to pat down Claudia. He did, and found no additional surveillance equipment.

Cutter watched as Becker dropped the small black device into the glass on the table. It was half filled with an amber colored liquid. Several other devices appeared to be soaking there too.

"Now we can talk," said Becker. "But when you get home, be sure to check your entire residence."

Cutter looked from Becker, to the bottle next to the glass. The Scot turned to Lester.

"Is that the whisky you keep in your desk?" Cutter asked.

"Yes, I couldn't leave it for Christine," replied their boss.

"Why didn't you just use water?" asked Claudia.

Mrs. Lester smiled.

"James was handing me the glass and talking," Vivian answered "when I realized his cufflink had a microchip inset… I just undid the cufflink and dropped it into the whisky."

"Another thing I'll have to hold against Christine," said Lester "it's a terrible waste of good whisky."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the ARC, Christine Johnson glared at her security chief.

"Surveillance equipment doesn't seem to have been worth the effort," she hissed. "We're not getting any information!"

"Sorry Ma'am," replied the soldier.

She gestured at her aide. He came to stand behind her and began to push the wheel chair out of the security offices.

"Where to Ma'am?"

"To the doctor's," ordered Christine "I'm supposed to get these ruddy bandages off and be fitted for walking braces."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	21. Something Important

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Something Important

"… _had she missed something… something important?"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Sarah was pacing back and forth turning to stare at the anomaly research model from time to time.

"You're going to wear a hole in the floor," chuckled Jamal.

The slim dark haired man was watching her from his perch on Abby and Connor's old sofa. In the months since the team had put the anomaly map in their friends flat, they had worked out a routine of sorts.

Most of the team was working at the Anomaly Research Center for Humans.

Sarah was usually the first to leave work. She would meet Jamal at the British Museum and then, if no one was following them, the two would go to Abby and Connor's flat. Stephen would let them in.

It was hot outside in the early August evening, and even hotter inside the flat. Sarah reached back to pull her long dark brown hair up off her neck. She left her hands atop her head as she continued to gaze at the twisting bent spirals soaring up towards the ceiling.

"I just think we're missing something," Sarah said thoughtfully.

"What are we missing?" asked Stephen. He was standing by the sink, filling water dishes for Abby and Connor's pets.

The young man from another time stream was the only one not assigned to work at the ARCH. Being officially dead in this time period had some drawbacks. No employment papers meant no job. For the moment, Stephen was flat sitting. He had taken over the feeding and care of all of Abby and Connor's creatures.

"It's just…" sighed Sarah "everyone has such different ideas."

"Of course we do," chuckled Claudia as she entered the flat carrying little Stephanie.

Claudia was still on maternity leave, so she and the baby usually arrived at the flat shortly after the infant woke from her afternoon nap. Claudia set down the infant carrier and started to unbuckle the tiny child.

"Maybe you should make a list," suggested Jamal.

"Right," agreed Sarah. She lowered her hands and placed them on her hips, never taking her eyes off the anomaly map. "Let's start with what we know."

By the time Cutter arrived at the flat, the list covered a large sheet of poster paper that Stephen had dug out from somewhere. The paper was taped to the wall above the couch.

Cutter had returned to work. The Professor tried to join the team at the flat as quickly as he could, but his arrival time was dependent upon the workload at the new facility. That… and however long it took to shake off Christine Johnson's surveillance team.

The Professor walked over to Claudia and held out his hands. She passed him their daughter. He stepped closer and leaned down to kiss Claudia tenderly.

"How are my two favorite ladies?" he whispered, his eyes glowing with happiness.

Claudia smiled and whispered something in his ear. Cutter turned to look at the paper. Sarah, Jamal and Stephen were staring at it critically.

"I still think we're missing something," said Sarah.

"What are you writing?" asked the Professor.

Sarah stepped to one side, giving Cutter a better view of the list. In big black lettering he read ANOMALIES. The line that said where: air, land, water and underground had been crossed through. Everywhere was scribbled next to the marked out text.

The line that said when had question marks beside the estimated times: past 70% ?, future 20%? Unidentified time, 10%?

The section on physical properties seemed to be more definite. Anomalies can be tracked (radio-magnetic frequency). Anomalies can be locked (electromagnetic frequency) or contained (the sun cage). Magnetite and Egyptians Knew! was printed in block text on the border of the list beside this entry.

"You've been busy," chuckled Cutter as he jiggled Stephanie. The baby snuggled close, her fingers gripping his collar tightly.

"You forgot something," said Danny. No one had heard the stealthy ex-copper enter the flat. Standing behind the team, Danny added "Anomalies move."

Danny delighted in taking Christine Johnson's surveillance teams on wild goose chases. Depending upon how creative Danny was with his detours, or how persistently Johnson's security team followed him, sometimes Danny wouldn't make it to the flat until after dinner, but tonight he arrived just after Cutter.

"Well yes," said Sarah.

She placed her hands together, fingertips touching as if she were holding an invisible ball. Then she flexed her fingers as if squeezing, in and out.

"The anomalies pulse… we've all seen that."

"That's not what I mean," said Danny. "They move… around… they rotate…"

"And they reappear," said Cutter nodding his head "that water anomaly in the pool… it appeared in the reservoir and then in someone's basement."

Both Sarah and Danny looked at Cutter in confusion.

"I don't remember…" began Sarah.

"I read those reports," said Danny "but I thought it was three separate anomalies."

"No, it was the same anomaly," said Cutter "the creature… the lifeguard… the diver… they were all connected… one anomaly… in three different locations in our time."

"That's not what Danny meant when he said the anomalies move," said Stephen. "The anomalies at the junction… when they moved… they would rotate."

Cutter stared at the young Stephen. The Professor still wasn't quite sure what to make of this man that was so like, and yet utterly unlike, Nick's friend and colleague.

"So?" The Professor's brogue carried a tiny hint of a challenge.

"Even a little change in the anomalies physical position," explained Stephen, "would change the time period the anomaly would lead to."

Lester and his wife could now be heard at the door. They were often tied up in meetings… for both the ARC and the ARCH… and on occasion one or the other would be called in to Whitehall. For some reason, Christine Johnson had decided to take a special interest in Lester's whereabouts. While Vivian came to Abby and Connor's flat at least twice a week, sometimes James was only able to make it to the Tuesday night team meeting.

"What's this?" asked Lester as they walked into the main room.

Sarah was writing more on the poster paper. Anomalies move… movement can change time period… she stopped writing for a moment to shake out her hand.

"I just wanted to put everything we knew about the anomalies," Sarah answered "out where we could all see it."

Lester read the list through. His eyes narrowed and he reached a hand up to stroke his chin.

"Does that cover situations like the Forest of Dean," said Lester "where an anomaly opened, then eight years later opened again… then a few months later opened to a time in between?"

Sarah set the marker back on the poster paper and wrote Anomalies reappear… not in linear time…

"And have you accounted for the predictions?" asked Mrs. Lester "The connections between these anomalies… have to mean something."

Everyone started talking at once. In the two months that they had been coming here to work on the anomaly map, no additional predications had been made. They seemed to be no closer to finding Abby and Connor than they had been in those first dark days.

Keys jangled as the front door opened again. The staccato click of heels entering the flat could be heard.

"I just think you should let me carry something," said Jess "really… I can help."

"I've got it," insisted the Captain. "I mean… thank you really, but… would you shut the door please?"

The pair entered the main room of the flat. Becker was carrying several large bags. He headed towards the table and set them down.

Becker and Jess were always the last to arrive on Tuesdays. Jess had offered to order take-away for the Tuesday night research meetings, and Becker had offered to drive her and help carry the purchases.

The soldier was healing well. Medical clearance finally allowed Becker to resume light duty along with his physical therapy. But… if anything, the Captain was more reserved than ever. The only time he seemed to open up was when he was with Jess.

Lester had taken to assigning the two of them to work together more often. The young woman's naturally bubbly personality seemed to brighten Becker's somber mood. Vivian had even insisted she had seen the soldier smile at something the communications specialist had said.

"What's that?" asked Jess. She was looking at the poster paper taped to the wall above the sofa.

"Our list of all things anomaly related," replied Jamal. "The more we know… it seems the less we know."

Jamal walked past Jess to start peering into the bags. Jess was staring at the list. She brought her finger to her lips, striking a pose similar to the way Lester had been standing just moments ago.

"I never knew that magnetite could be used to contain an anomaly," Jess said. "Magnetite is fairly common ore, but not all of it actually has a strong magnetic field..."

Cutter listened to the young woman as she continued on about the properties of magnetite. He looked at Claudia and rolled his eyes. The newest team member was brilliant, but she sometimes tended to ramble, reminding Cutter of Connor.

"Have you cross referenced the anomaly map with a geophysical map of magnetite deposits around the globe?" Jess asked.

"No," replied Cutter. "I don't think we have… Sarah?"

"No," agreed the doctor of archeology as she turned to join Jamal at the table. "Jess… that's a great idea. Connor had a natural phenomena theory… he was working on a tracking program."

"A tracking program," said Jess "I haven't seen it."

Sarah stopped in midstep. She turned back to stare at Jess.

"Connor's tracking program…," said Sarah "I've got his laptop… would you mind taking a look at it?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby glanced at Percy as he returned to the main room. The sunlight coming through the narrow windows above the bench was fading rapidly.

"I think I'll go have a lie down too," Abby said "it's getting dark."

"Wonder where Louis and the boy have gone?" mumbled Percy as Abby walked past him and entered the small bedroom.

Abby looked at the fire gratefully. Percy had already stoked it for the night. The warmth it was giving off felt good. She stretched out her hands toward the flames, spreading her fingers wide.

Looking over her shoulder, she could see Connor was stretched out on top of the bed, still fully clothed. One arm was draped across his forehead shadowing his eyes. The fabric tied around his wrist had slipped a bit showing part of his tattoo.

"Connor," said Abby "we need to talk."

"Great!" he said in a tired voice. "Now we have the talk."

Abby turned to face him in confusion. She wasn't sure what he meant by that remark.

"Last night," began Abby "you said something…"

"Yeah, I said a lot of things," interrupted Connor.

Abby blinked, then Abby remembered. She remembered that other conversation… and how it didn't quite end the way she hoped… Abby wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

"I heard you," replied Abby "last night… when you said you loved me."

Connor let out a sigh.

"I just don't understand what you mean," she continued.

Connor's jaw moved, but if he said anything, she couldn't hear him.

"Words don't always mean the same thing," said Abby "to different people."

"Abby…" said Connor quietly "don't play games with me… please… I… I… I can't bear it."

"I'm not playing games," replied Abby "I'm trying to explain… I told you... my mum and dad used to fight all the time… they used that word… love... to hurt each other."

"What?" asked Connor. He removed his arm from his eyes, and propped himself up on both elbows to look at her.

"I didn't realize at first," said Abby turning sideways to hold her hands out towards the fire. "Mum would do things… like ask me if I wanted to be in choir at school… it was fun and yes… I wanted to sing with my friends."

Connor stared at her, not saying a word. Abby went on speaking.

"Mum told my dad that I loved to sing," said Abby "so I went to choir practice on Wednesday nights… which was supposed to be his visit night."

She tilted her head sideways, wrapping her hands across her body.

"For Jack it was soccer practice," Abby continued. "Dad sort of did the same thing Mum had done… Things like that happened over and over. By the time I was a teenager, I couldn't stand to hear the word love… it always came with strings attached... and someone was always getting hurt."

Connor's big brown eyes gazed at her, held her blue eyes steady. She swallowed.

"A few minutes ago, you said something," began Abby again "about actions have consequences… I think actions… show more than words ever really do."

Now it was Connor who looked confused.

"Huh?"

"Connor… just so you know… and don't ever wonder," said Abby "Danny didn't ask me to stay with you, I told him to go… that I'd stay with you… I wouldn't leave you. I've been telling you that... for the last three days... and I'm still here."

Abby sat down on the bed beside Connor. She uncrossed her arms and reached for his wrist.

"I'd rather be with you," Abby said "even in the Cretaceous… than be anywhere… without you."

Abby loosened the torn piece of cloth covering his tattoo. Unwrapping his wrist, she took the fabric in one hand and his hand in her other hand. Abby looped the fabric over and around their wrists.

"This morning, I heard you," said Abby softly "but I didn't understand you were asking me a question… now… listen… to my answer…"

For a moment, time stood still.

"I'm not really sure what love is… but I'm not leaving you…," whispered Abby "for as long as you'll have me."

Two pairs of eyes glistened in the firelight, two bodies leaned forward, lips met…

_-x-x-x-x-x-x__ x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy pounded on the door.

"Abby, we've got to go looking for Louis and the boy," called Percy "can you carry a torch for me?"

Abby and Connor broke apart and turned to look at the door.

"Now? Seriously?" asked Connor "He's got the worst timing ever!"

Abby chuckled.

"Connor, I'll be back," she said with a smirk. "Keep the bed warm, yeah."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	22. Into The Forest

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Into The Forest

"…_I'll be back…"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby followed Percy down the stairs and through the stable. Percy grabbed a large stick from beside the door before stepping outside. In the courtyard several men from the village were gathering.

"Louis and the boy should have been back," explained Percy "by nightfall. It's not safe to be outside the village walls…"

"You keep saying that Percy," said Abby shaking her head, "but I haven't seen anything to be worried of since the last raptor."

Percy gave her a look as they approached the crowd gathered around the man speaking.

"You really don't know what it's like," he hissed "living here."

Abby recognized the man in the dark blue tunic from the day before. He was standing on a stone bench near the fountain, looking out over the crowd.

The wide front doors of the building behind him were open. Inside appeared to be a work area with a large anvil, hammers of various sizes and other tools that Abby couldn't name. Everything inside the building was centered on a huge central fireplace where a blazing fire could be seen.

The man raised his hands and began to speak. His voice carried as he gave orders. Most of the people nodded in agreement. The people started moving about, some returning to their homes, others separating into small groups.

One tall bony man grabbed a bucket filled with a black gooey substance from the open building. He was carrying a large stick similar to the one Percy held. He thrust his stick into the bucket and then held the blackened end into the fire. It quickly caught and blazed.

The man then turned, carrying the bucket and his blazing stick outside. Another man and Percy stepped forward with their torches, quickly dipping their sticks into the black goo and then lighting them from the blazing stick. Percy held the torch towards Abby.

"I'll need you to carry this," he said "so we can see where we are going."

"What are you going to carry?" asked Abby.

Percy nodded. Jean was approaching them. He was carrying two long spears. The gaunt man handed Percy one of them.

"I really wish I had my sword," said Percy. "Stay in the middle now…"

Abby nodded and started walking with Percy and Jean, following the others towards the gate. As the groups passed out the village gate, they each turned in different directions. One group, led by the man in the blue tunic, started down the hill, following the roadway. Another group, lead by the tall bony man, turned left, heading in the direction of the river. Percy, Jean and Abby turned right.

"Where are we going?" asked Abby.

"To the forest," replied Percy. "Louis wanted to check his trap lines."

Abby shivered. She had Connor's red hooded sweatshirt and her jacket over that, but it was still chilly out. The waning sunlight all but disappeared as they moved further into the forest.

"This reminds me of the Forest of Dean," said Abby "the trees are huge."

"I've been to the Forest of Dean," chuckled Percy "it's one of the few ancient woodlands left in England. This forest… it's far older… larger… darker…"

"It's beautiful," objected Abby "unspoiled."

"And dangerous," cautioned Percy "you don't want to get lost here. Stay on the path."

"What path?" asked Abby.

Brambles and brush crowded beneath the trees. The few spaces where the undergrowth was a little lower didn't look like a path to Abby. There was little room left for a person to walk. Jean pointed. The snare set underneath the small bush was barely visible.

"It's been reset with fresh bait," said Percy "that means they came this way."

They continued walking, searching each step of the way. It was another twenty minutes or so before the threesome found Louis and the boy. They were sitting upon a tree branch about ten feet above the ground. The two shouted and pointed. Abby, Percy and Jean turned to see what Louis and the boy were pointing at.

The brush began to shake. Branches broke. Hooves landed on the path, and a snorting creature with bristly hair and tusks on either side of its mouth stood in front of them for a moment. Then it charged.

Abby acted on instinct. She thrust the torch she was carrying out in front of her, anything to keep that mouthful of teeth and tusks away. On either side of her, Percy and Jean thrust their spears forward. The creature squealed and backed off. It pawed the ground with its hooves, ready to charge again.

"Hurry," shouted Percy "up into the tree!"

Scrambling and climbing, Percy, Jean and Abby soon joined Louis and the boy high in the tree. The dangerous animal squealed in frustration, lunging against the tree trunk almost as if it wished to climb the tree after them. It circled around the base of the tree, pacing, and waiting.

"Some rescue party we are," said Abby. "Now what?"

"We wait," replied Percy.

The sun had completely set, and the moon had been up for quite some time when Abby heard the first sounds of humans. The man in the blue tunic was accompanied by the men who had gone to search the roadway. The tall bony man from the group that went to search by the river was with them too. Percy shouted a warning in the language of the time.

The group of men suddenly appeared to be bristling with swords and spears. The creature that had been settled at the base of the tree rose and began to paw its hooves. The men charged, penning the creature against the trunk of the tree. Stabbing and slashing with their weapons, the creature was soon overcome by the four armed men. Abby turned her head as the beast gave one last final cry and fell to the ground.

Percy, Jean and Louis quickly climbed down the tree, joining the other men. Behind Abby, the boy also began to climb down the tree. The boy left to search the ground, finally returning to the men with a long heavy tree limb. Abby watched from her seat on the tree branch as the men gutted the animal. Then, they lashed the creature's legs together with twine from one of the snares, and ran the limb between its legs.

"Come on Abby," called Percy "we need to get going now."

Abby slowly climbed down the tree, careful not to step in any of the signs of carnage spread across the forest floor.

"Would you hold the torch in front of us," asked Percy "then when we get it lifted, lead the way back to the village?"

"You're bringing that poor creature with us?" asked Abby.

"Yeah," said Percy "roast boar is good to eat."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor, Henri and Agneta were in the main room of the home. Abby could hear the sound of their voices as she followed the boy slowly up the stairs.

"Abby," exclaimed Connor "are you all right? Where are Percy and Louis?"

"They're across the courtyard," answered Abby "they're cooking a wild boar… turning a spit… I don't think they will be back anytime soon."

She looked at Connor in confusion. Beside the fireplace, Henri, Agneta and the boy were talking quickly and quietly in their language.

"When I left you were laying down in the other room," said Abby. "How did you get in here?"

Connor gestured towards the big man and the auburn haired woman.

"Henri," he explained "he helped me."

Abby nodded, and then shivered. Connor looked at her in concern.

"Abby," he asked again "are you all right?"

"I'm just cold Connor," she replied as she moved closer to the bench where he was sitting.

Connor reached for her wrist, pulling her across the last few inches separating them into his lap. He wrapped his arms around her and gave her a quick hug.

"You're freezing," Connor agreed. He then picked up a mug off the table and held it out towards her. "Here, take a sip."

"What is it?"

"Henri's wife made some hot mulled wine," Connor urged "drink it. It will warm you up."

Abby sipped the warm fragrant drink gratefully. When the mug was empty, she set it back on the table and leaned against Connor.

"We really aren't in London," whispered Abby.

"Yeah," agreed Connor "but we'll get back home."

"I doubt it," sighed Abby. She shivered again. "We don't have a way to open an anomaly, and you heard Percy… he's been here over ten years and ours was the first anomaly he's heard of in all that time."

"Abby, we'll get home," promised Connor "but right now, let's get you into a warm bed and stop your shivering."

Abby smirked. She stood up from Connor's lap and turned to face him. He was struggling to stand, one hand braced against the wall, the other hand holding the staff. Connor leaned on the staff, balancing carefully.

"Can you walk leaning on me?" Abby asked.

"Still can't put much weight on me left ankle," Connor replied "but I can put weight on me right leg now… should be able to manage, if we take it slow."

Abby moved to his left side and ducked under his arm. He brought his arm down and leaned upon her shoulder.

"We've got over a thousand years or more til we get home," she replied. "No rush."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In London, Sarah watched Jess. The young woman had arrived early at Abby and Connor's flat. Jess was booting up her laptop. Becker, Jamal and Stephen had left to pick up the take away for this Tuesday night. None of the other team members had arrived yet.

"Were you able to get into Connor's tracking program?" asked Sarah anxiously.

"Well yeah," replied Jess. "I'm a pretty good hacker, and as soon as you mentioned that he had a thing for Abby, his password was easy to figure out."

"What was his password?" asked Sarah. Her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Abby_Maitland," answered Jess. She pressed a button, maximizing the program so the image filled the computer screen.

"His tracking program has some links between anomalies," continued Jess "that we don't have on the anomaly research model."

"We should probably add the new links in," said Sarah. She was looking intently over Jess's shoulder. "We want to show all connections."

"Yes," agreed Jess, "but the anomaly projections really get's interesting when you correlate the geophysical map of magnetite deposits with Connor's tracking program."

"How so?" asked Cutter.

The two women turned in surprise. They hadn't heard the door open. Cutter, Claudia and Stephanie had entered the flat.

"You're here early," commented Sarah.

"I wanted to see what you'd come up with," replied Cutter.

He stepped closer and looked at Jess's computer screen. His eyes widened. The tangled overlay of connecting lines of various colors showed several prominent intersections.

"It would seem there is a connection," the Professor said "between magnetite deposits and anomalies."

Jess pointed her finger to the screen.

"This is the Forest of Dean site," she explained. "There's been mining in Clearwell Caves since Roman times… mostly for iron, but magnetite deposits have also been found."

Cutter nodded. Claudia stood beside him, jiggling Stephanie on her hip. Sarah was staring at the computer screen. She was pinching her bottom lip between her thumb and forefinger.

"What's this?" asked Sarah. She pointed at another spot on the map.

"Oh, sorry," said Jess. She typed in a command on the keyboard. The map appeared with country and city names. "The connections between archeology, paleontology, history, myth, and magnetite seem to be self-evident."

"The sites with the most frequent intersections appear to be Kiev, Draguignan," said Sarah "and the Forest of Dean."

"Maybe," replied Jess. She typed some more keystrokes. Dates now appeared on the screen. "If you factor in dates, the most recent anomaly openings appear in the Forest of Dean, London, and Vancouver Canada."

The sound of the front door opening and shutting almost drowned out Jess's quiet statement. Lester and his wife had arrived.

"Canada?" asked Lester "Good Lord, please don't tell me we have anomalies in Canada."

"Anomalies do not only occur in England," reminded Sarah. "We know the Egyptians knew about anomalies… remember Ammut?"

Lester snorted.

"Don't remind me."

Lester's wife was staring at the map, not saying a word. Sarah looked at her curiously. The woman was still as much of a mystery to Sarah as she had ever been.

"I remember you saying once," said Sarah "that Abby, Connor and Danny had gone through the racetrack anomaly in at least twelve known timelines. Where did they return from?"

Vivian looked startled at the question.

"Why?" Mrs. Lester asked. "What difference could it possibly make?"

Danny had entered the flat right after the Lester's.

"What's this?" the lanky red head asked. "You know about twelve different versions of us?"

"Not exactly," replied Vivian "but the library has some unusual books… from very different timelines."

"What library?" asked Danny.

"People!" exclaimed Sarah "Can we focus? We're trying to find connections, overlaps on the map, so we can find when Abby and Connor have gone."

"Yes," agreed Danny. He turned to Vivian. "But later… I want to know more about this library of yours."

Vivian glanced at him. Her dark eyes didn't seem to promise an answer to his question. She then turned to face Sarah and Jess, and proceeded to answer Sarah's original question.

"In my timeline, Abby and Connor returned three days after they went through the racetrack anomaly in Hyde Park."

Jess started adding datapoints to the map.

"In another timeline," continued Vivian "they returned a year later in the middle of London. Thank goodness it was early on a Saturday morning… not much traffic, just a garbage truck or two in the streets."

"What street address?" asked Jess.

"I don't know," replied Vivian "Is it important?"

"London's a big city," replied Jess "the mapping program would work better if I had exact coordinates."

"All I know is that it was near Temple Avenue," said Vivian.

Danny laughed. "Seriously?"

"Do you think I could make this up?" asked Vivian. She glared at the former copper.

"Closer to Fleet Street or Victoria Embankment," asked Jess.

"I don't know," replied Vivian. She lifted one hand up and brushed it through her hair, pushing the dark tresses back from her forehead.

"It helps that you narrowed the location down," said Jess as she typed additional coordinates into her program. "Next?"

"Dublin and Riga," answered Vivian shortly, "and I don't know the street address for either city."

"Okay," replied Jess. She added the new locations. "Next," she said expectantly.

"What do you mean next?" asked Vivian.

"That's only four return locations," replied Jess. "What are the other eight returns?"

"There weren't any other returns," whispered Vivian. "In the other timelines, they went through the racetrack anomaly… and no one returned."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	23. The Start of Something

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 The Start of Something

"…_all the time in the world…"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"No one returned," repeated Becker.

His voice sounded hollow and echoed through Abby and Connor's flat. Becker was standing at the entrance to the flat, holding a large bag of take away. Jamal and Stephen stood on either side of him, holding similar bags. Becker's eyes were wide and shining just a bit.

"I failed…" said Becker "over a dozen times…"

"Don't be ridiculous," said Lester "no one is blaming you!"

"I'm blaming me," responded Becker. "I was supposed to protect..."

"Becker," interrupted Vivian, "James is right. No one blames you, but yourself."

Stephen and Jamal moved to set their bags of take away on the table, but the tall soldier remained framed in the doorway.

"In the four timelines that we know Abby and Connor returned," said Vivian softly "a version of you was present to help them get back."

"And the other eight?"

"In two of the timelines, the other timeline's versions of you were killed prior to anyone going through the racetrack anomaly," continued Vivian. "In three of the timelines… that Becker went with them."

"What about the last three timelines?"

"There's no record of a Hilary James Becker ever existing," said Vivian.

Becker closed his eyes.

"Hilary?" exclaimed Danny. "Your name is Hilary?"

Behind the tall red head, Sarah was trying to hide a smirk. She turned away, and found herself face to face with Jess. The young woman still had her hands on the key board, but she was gazing across the room at Becker.

"I like the name Hilary," said Jess softly. "It means cheerful."

Becker stalked into the room, leaving the door wide open. His lowered eyebrows and frown would have given most people pause. He set the bag of take-away on the table next to the others, and began unloading the contents and setting them on the table.

"I don't think Becker likes his name," chuckled Stephen.

"Wait… wait… wait," said Danny "we're getting off track here. If Hil…"

The glare Becker shot at the former copper made him rethink his next words.

"What I'm saying is… if Becker was present in the four successful returns of Abby and Connor," continued Danny "and Becker is here with us now…"

"Yeah, maybe," said Cutter. "It might mean something."

The Professor looked at Vivian. She was facing Lester. The usually unflappable Lester looked concerned. The two were whispering together.

"What else is the same?" asked Cutter. "And what's different? And who wrote those books you mentioned?"

"And where is this library?" asked Danny. His lips were curled up into a cheeky grin, but his eyes held an inquisitive gleam.

"Official Secrets Act," replied Lester, as he moved to stand next to his wife "strictly need to know."

"There's something that I need to know," called a querulous voice from the entry way.

A gray haired woman stood framed in the doorway that Becker had just vacated. She was wearing a somber gray dress and leaning on a cane. Her sharp gaze went around the room, from person to person. Her eyes widened as her gaze settled on Stephen.

"Mrs. Hart," exclaimed Lester "you really shouldn't…"

The woman's gaze snapped around to stare at Lester. Her features settled into an angry frown.

"I've been demanding to know what really happened to my son for over a year now," hissed the woman "and when you started driving different rental cars, and giving my investigators the slip… I knew something was up… but I never thought this…"

"You've had investigators following me," exclaimed Lester in surprise "I thought it was Christine Johnson's men…"

"I don't give a ruddy rat's ass about the official secrets act," interrupted Mrs. Hart "but you need to tell my why my son is dead… and why you've cloned him…"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In another time and place, voices coming from the front room woke Abby. She gently lifted Connor's arm up off her waist. They had slept fully dressed due to the cold last night. Whispered hopes of home and his embrace warmed her. Abby finally stopped shivering and fell asleep. Now, she quietly slipped out from beneath the covers and searched for her shoes.

Slipping on her brown boots, she stood up and moved towards the door. The hairline of light coming in around the frame told Abby it was morning. She stopped before the fireplace, bent down and picked up a small log, adding it to the fire.

"Hmmph."

Connor rolled over on the bed, snuggling into the spot where she had just been. Abby watched, but his eyes remained closed. She smiled and stood up. One more step and she quietly opened the door and stepped into the main room.

Louis and the boy were asleep on their pallets near the fire. Percy was sitting at the table, talking with the man in the blue tunic. They both looked tired, as if they had been up all night. The two men stopped talking when they realized Abby had entered the room. They turned to look at Abby. She stared back, feeling a little self-conscious.

"What?" Abby asked.

Percy pointed at the small pile of clothing on the table. Abby watched as the older man rose from the bench and slowly limped towards the door. Percy said something to the man as he opened the door and started down the stairs. Then Percy turned his gaze back to Abby.

"Why is he limping?" asked Abby. "He walked slowly yesterday, but he wasn't limping. What happened?"

"Nothing happened Abby," replied Percy "he just… overdid. He limps when he is tired and sore."

"What was he doing here so early in the morning?" asked Abby.

"He brought you some clothes," said Percy. "They belonged to his daughter. He also brought something for Connor as well."

"Oh… that's kind," said Abby, "but we can't accept that."

"Abby," said Percy "you might have noticed that it gets cold here… especially when that wind blows."

"Connor and I were talking last night," said Abby "we don't want to do anything to change history… every bite of food we eat… is taking food from someone here."

"Abby," began Percy. He was shaking his head as she continued talking.

"It would be the same with the clothes."

"You're wrong Abby," said Percy "and if history was going to change because of eating food and wearing clothes… then I've already changed history."

"When we first got here," reminded Abby "that man said the village doesn't need anymore mouths to feed."

"It doesn't," agreed Percy, "but we can't…"

"So why the change...?" asked Abby. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Percy suspiciously.

"Sharing, caring for each other," said Percy "it's part of what makes us human."

"But why…" asked Abby "why now?"

"Whoa!" exclaimed Connor.

Abby turned to look at Connor. He was leaning against the doorway to the small bedroom they shared. One hand held the heavy staff so like the one Connor had used in the Cretaceous. His jacket was open at the chest. The black pants he wore were hanging low on his hips. The torn pants leg exposed his bandaged calf to the cold. He was staring beyond Abby.

She slowly turned, half expecting to see a creature or an anomaly, but the sight outside the narrow window wasn't frightening at all. Abby had barely paid attention to the white light which filled the window. She'd been intent on the discussion with Percy. But now, she looked. The flakes of snow swirling up in the air, around and settling softly around the buildings of the town looked beautiful… and cold.

Abby crossed her arms over her chest and shivered. Connor stepped forward slowly, crossing the room to finally stand beside her.

"How long has it been snowing?" asked Connor.

"Not long," replied Percy. He stretched his arms overhead and yawned.

"It doesn't look like it's going to stop any time soon," said Connor.

"Probably not," agreed Percy lowering his arms.

Percy pointed to the pile of clothes on the table.

"You might as well be warm while you're here," said the public relations professional. "Now, I'm going to try and get some sleep."

Percy shoved the pile of clothing towards Abby, and started to lay his head down on the table.

"Mate, you can't sleep on the table," said Connor "you should go lay down in the bed… we're up and others will be soon."

Percy blinked sleepily.

"Yeah, might be a good idea," he replied. "Just… don't go anywhere without me."

"Of course not," said Connor.

Percy rose from the bench and slowly crossed the room. He turned at the doorway to the small bedroom.

"If it snows too long," said Percy "you might not be able to go anywhere until Spring."

He stepped inside the room and shut the door behind him. Abby and Connor exchanged a glance.

"Do you think Percy was right," Abby asked "about not going anywhere until Spring."

"No," replied Connor firmly "as soon as I can walk properly, we need to leave… we can't stay here… we don't belong in this time and place."

Connor shivered.

"You need something warmer to wear," said Abby "you're dressed fine for a June day in London… or the cretaceous, but not so good for snow."

Abby went through the pile of clothes. There was a heavy woolen dress and two linen shifts that Abby thought must have belonged to the woman in the green dress. The long dark gray cloak must have been what the man brought for Connor. She handed it to him.

Connor swirled the cloak over him. It settled on his shoulders and fell to within a half inch of the floor. Abby chuckled.

"What's so funny?" asked Connor as he picked up the rucksack of gear and started laying out the parts and pieces of the broken equipment on the table.

"Oh nothing really," smiled Abby fondly "it's just… you said something about the movie Lord of the Rings… the other day… the cloak reminded me of something…"

"Yeah."

"Well.. the cloak is gray," said Abby "and you're carrying a staff… it reminds me of that wizard…"

"Gandalf?" asked Connor. For a moment, he looked inordinately pleased at the comparison.

"Yeah," agreed Abby "you look like a wizard."

"But Gandalf was old and he had a beard…" objected Connor "a really long gray beard. I don't have a beard."

Abby ran her fingers lightly over Connor's jaw. There was several days' growth of stubble beneath her fingers.

"Looks like you might be starting a beard," teased Abby.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	24. Other Lives, Other Lies

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Other Lives, Other Lies

"…_something that I need to know…"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"I'm not a clone," said Stephen. He set the brown paper bag down and stepped away from the table.

The gray haired woman entered the flat, her cane thumping on the wooden floor with every step as she walked from the doorway to stand directly in front of the brown haired man in blue jeans and long sleeved green t-shirt.

"You're not my son," said the woman sadly. Her eyes mirrored his. "You look like him… or rather what he looked like… a few years ago, but you're not him."

"No, I'm not him," agreed Stephen "and you're not my mother."

Danny moved to stand closer to Stephen. The lanky red head smiled at the woman.

"Mrs. Hart," said Danny "we haven't met properly, but perhaps I can explain…"

"How can you explain this monstrosity?" asked the woman.

Her voice was shrill and angry, echoing across the room. She raised her cane, pointing it at Stephen. Stephen flinched and stepped back a space, while Danny stepped forward moving between the two. Danny raised both hands in the air. The other people in the flat shifted their positions uneasily at the older woman's angry outburst.

Sarah stepped closer to Jamal. The slim, dark haired historian wrapped his arms protectively around her. Cutter stood up from where he was sitting next to Claudia and Stephanie on the sofa. Becker moved closer to Jess. Her laptop was sitting atop the pinball machine between the dining table and the door. The tall soldier placed himself in front of the petite communications specialist. His eyes were assessing the potential threat posed by the diminutive older woman.

"This Stephen is not a clone," answered Lester from where he was standing at the rear of the flat.

He held his hands up in a manner similar to Danny. Beside him, his wife was watching Mrs. Hart. Vivian's eyes were narrowed as if she were inspecting something. Lester spoke again using his official government voice.

"Her majesties government does not…"

"The government, and you people, are responsible for my son being dead!"

"Ma'am," said Becker quietly, "you need to put the cane down."

Mrs. Hart looked at the cane she was still holding up in the air pointed at Danny and Stephen in surprise. It was almost as if she hadn't realized she was making a threatening gesture. She wobbled for a moment unsteadily, and then lowered the cane, leaning heavily on it.

"He's not a clone," said Danny gently. "Didn't you hear Lester?"

The woman stared at Stephen, and then sniffed audibly. She pulled a tissue from her pocket and dabbed her eyes.

"This Stephen," explained Lester "is from another time line."

"Another time line?" questioned Mrs. Hart. She wobbled unsteadily again. "I think I need to sit down."

Stephen pulled out a chair from the table, while Danny offered the older woman his arm and set her safely down.

"The persons responsible for your son's death," said Cutter, as he walked towards Mrs. Hart, "are my ex-wife Helen and a nasty little man named Oliver Leek."

"I would appreciate knowing the truth," replied Mrs. Hart shakily. She settled her gaze on Stephen. "And I'd like to know who this person is."

"There are rips in time," explained the Professor as he knelt down in front of the woman "where creatures from the past… and sometimes other people from other times… come to our world."

"I know it's hard to understand," added Danny "but there are other times… places where we've all lived other lives…"

"And I'm Stephen," said the man in question "just not the same Stephen you knew and loved."

The heavy sound of a door shutting caused everyone to turn their gaze away from the woman. Lester was staring at the bathroom door. From within the room, the sound of faucets being turned on could be heard. The sound of water running began.

"If you'll excuse me… I'll just go check on my wife," said Lester. He waved his hand at the bags of food on the table. "Take-away is getting cold… carry on…"

As Lester disappeared after his wife, Danny nodded at the open front door.

"Would someone shut the front door," called Danny "before we get any more unexpected visitors?"

Jess was the closest to the door. She moved to shut the door, followed by Becker.

"Thank you," said Becker as she pushed the door firmly shut.

"Of course, it's not a problem," replied Jess. She smiled at the Captain. "Besides, I wouldn't want Rex to get out."

For a moment, Becker looked confused. Then he smiled.

"No… I meant thank you," he clarified "for saying you liked my name."

"Oh, I didn't realize you heard me. Well of course I like your name," replied Jess. "I mean, really who wouldn't like your name. It's a perfectly wonderful name… goes back to the Latin… and, oh… but I'll bet you already know about that."

The beautiful young woman stopped speaking abruptly and flushed under Becker's continued scrutiny.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at the number of people who don't like my name," said Becker.

Becker glanced back into the flat. Sarah and Jamal were fixing themselves a plate to eat. Stephen and Danny had moved away from Mrs. Hart. They were near the table, looking at the food and reaching for plates. Mrs. Hart was still sitting in the straight back chair. Her gaze followed Stephen's every step. Cutter was crouched in front of her, talking quietly, trying to explain the unexplainable. On the couch, Claudia sat with little Stephanie. The baby was squirming in her arms. The Lester's were still in conference in the loo.

"Why don't we go get some of the take-away?" asked Becker. "After you?"

He held his hand out to the young woman. She looked up through her long eyelashes at him, and smiled.

"Hope they haven't eaten all the prawn crackers," she replied.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the weeks since the first snow flurries had been seen and then melted, there hadn't been any more snow, but the weather was steadily growing colder. Connor had taken apart and reassembled the broken anomaly opening device more times than Abby could count. He'd even tried hooking up cell phone batteries to the powerless one. In the deep recesses of the rucksack, Abby's cell phone had bumped something and been left turned on until there was no power. Connor's cell phone still had a smidgen of power, but not enough. When asked, Percy couldn't even remember whether or not he had a cell phone with him in this era. One battery with minimal power hadn't worked to restart the powerless anomaly opening device.

Henri had been working hard in the forge for the past several weeks. He was using a new smelting technique that the monk had told him about. After pouring the molten ore, the big man had shaped it. For days upon days, he had been heard pounding away at strips of heated metal. Last night, he had presented a long sword to Percy. It was to replace the one lost with the woman in the green dress. The new sword wasn't quite as long as the lost sword, but it was harder. Henri was very pleased with the results. The sword was embossed with Henri's personal maker's mark at the base of the blade.

Connor could walk better now. This morning, they were leaving the village.

Percy was packing foodstuffs into a rucksack. The man in the blue tunic had tried to convince Abby, Connor and Percy to stay through the coming winter. When the man realized they were determined to leave he had insisted they take some dried fruits, vegetables and sausages for their journey.

"He says the food will just go bad," explained Percy "if we don't take it."

Connor smiled and shook his head at the obvious lie. Connor spoke the word for thanks. The man kept his face impassive. He shrugged in dismissal, and then turned and left.

Abby smiled at Agneta. The woman's labor had started quickly one night two weeks ago. Abby had delivered the little girl before Jean could be summoned. Abby chucked the little baby under the chin once more and handed the child back to Agneta.

"I'm going to miss the people here," said Abby as the threesome started down the stairs.

"Yeah, but we need to go home," agreed Connor, "and with us out of here, Henri and his family can have some extra space."

Percy led the way out of the village. He'd left his chain mail with Louis. For this journey, Percy wore simple brown leather clothing. A scabbard strapped to his back held Henri's gift. When they walked through the high archway of the village gates, Connor turned back to look at the perimeter wall. He leaned on his heavy staff, reading the writing etched into the stone above the entrance.

"I don't remember seeing that when we arrived," said Connor.

The wind lifted the heavy woolen cloak slightly, billlowing it past his legs. Connor's calf was healed. All that remained of the bite mark was a bright pink scar that would probably fade over time. However, Jean had insisted that Connor keep his legs wrapped. The furry leggings Jean had given Connor covered the spot left bare from when his black denim pants had been cut back.

"What?" asked Abby.

"The lettering," replied Connor. "It looks like Latin."

"You weren't exactly feeling your best that day," reminded Abby.

She tightened the laces of his red hooded sweatshirt around her neck and then buttoned her denim jacket closed. Abby had left the woolen dress and the linen shifts behind. Abby said she didn't care for dresses much and they weren't practical... can't run in a dress very well, but really... she just preferred Connor's sweatshirt.

"Percy… my Latin is limited to paleontology terms," said Connor. "Do you know what that phrase means?"

"Dunno exactly," replied Percy "it's just something meant to scare away invaders. Warn them off."

"Hmmph. Do you really think invaders are going to take the time," asked Connor as he backed up, craning his neck to see all the words, "to read your sign?"

"Connor," called Perch sharply "look where you're going!"

The scientist stumbled, but caught himself with the staff he carried.

"Yeah," said Connor. "Right… looking… now…"

Abby shook her head, and the three started walking downhill along the old Roman road, away from the village.

It was midmorning when they reached the bottom of the long hill. The roadway twisted and turned in two different directions before them.

Percy pointed northwards.

"That direction is where the invaders come from," he explained "and snow."

He then pointed in the opposite direction, where the road turned and continued on in a south easterly path.

"That's the way back towards the dolmen," Percy said "and back towards the place Jean and Henri first found you… and eventually to Rome. We know there are anomalies that direction."

"We've already talked about this," reminded Connor. "There were two anomalies at the dolmen, one went to the mid-twentieth century, and the other went to the cretaceous. And where we came in to this world… that anomaly also went to the cretaceous."

"Those anomalies aren't the right ones," said Abby, she stepped closer to Connor. "We want to go home... and home is north."

"The two most active anomaly areas that we know of," continued Connor as he put his arm around Abby's shoulders, "are London and the Forest of Dean."

Percy looked at the two in disbelief.

"Are you sure you don't want to go south?" he asked.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	25. Twists and Turns

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Twists and Turns

"…_and sometimes other people from other times… come to our world …"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester shut the bathroom door behind him.

"Vivian," asked Lester "what's wrong?"

The taps were opened full blast, and the dark haired woman was wringing out a wash cloth. She raised the cloth to her face and began to wipe around her reddened eyes.

"Cutter asked what else is the same, and what's different," replied Vivian, speaking more to her reflection than to her husband. "There are so many things in this time that don't match the history I learned growing up."

"You've said that before," reminded Lester. He stepped closer, reached around her hips and turned off the spigot.

"The only timeline I really know about is the one where Abby and Connor came back into Hyde Park," continued Vivian as she wiped her face again. "And that timeline… where Abby and Connor were already married… is a total fiction now in this universe."

"You told me once that Abby and Connor were your great-great grandparents," replied Lester, suddenly looking concerned. "You're not going to disappear on me… now that they're not here… not married…"

For a moment, Lester seemed to be holding his breath. He leaned closer to Vivian, resting his hand on the side of the sink.

"Are you?"

"Don't be ridiculous James," said Vivian.

She turned away from the mirror to face her husband directly, finding herself mere inches away from him. Vivian inhaled the scent of James Lester. He brought his hands to stroke her arms, drawing her closer.

"Have you been watching Connor's science fiction movies again?"

"Maybe," admitted Lester. "I sort of thought of it as research really."

"I'm right here, right now," whispered Vivian "tangible… in this present… I'm real… and I'm not going anywhere."

"Good," breathed Lester. His lips curled up in a smile. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the main area of the flat, Jess and Becker were standing near the pinball machine with Sarah and Jamal. Everyone was carefully juggling plates of food. Jess was babbling on about the tracking program. Stephen and Danny were seated at the table with Mrs. Hart. Danny had swiveled a chair backwards and straddled it. He waved his eggroll at the closed bathroom door.

"I think one of us should go check on those two," joked Danny.

"Be my guest," replied Cutter with a smirk.

The Scot was standing beside the table fixing a plate for Claudia, while she stood by jiggling Stephanie, trying to keep the baby entertained. Suddenly Nick's face looked serious. He lifted his gaze from the lo mein noodles to look at Jess.

"Did I just hear you say," asked the Professor "that Connor's tracking program has some links between anomalies that we don't have on the anomaly research model?"

"Well… yes," replied Jess looking flustered.

"And why wasn't I told?"

"I thought you heard us," began Jess.

"When we were talking about that, it might have been before he arrived," reminded Sarah. "Cutter, she only just hacked Connor's laptop."

"Yes, but this might be important," said Cutter, setting the plate down on the table. He walked towards the laptop. "I need to see this."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

In the bathroom, Vivian pushed away from Lester and moved past him. She pointed at the closed door.

"A version of Danny, not that one in the room out there, but another Danny," she said "came to the library of Temporal Research requesting assistance… I was only supposed to be in this time period for three different fifteen minute segments."

"I've known you for more than twenty years," said Lester as he leaned back against the sink. "What changed?"

"The device to take me to my next assignments, and then back home," said Vivian "was run over by a bus."

"Good," replied Lester. "Saves me the trouble of having to find it and smash it."

He pushed himself up from the sink, turned around to face the mirror and began studiously inspecting his tie.

"We need to decide what to tell the others," Lester began. His fingers began to undo the bright fabric from around his neck.

Vivian returned aross the tiled floor to stand beside him. Lester shifted his hips, moving sideways to face his wife. Vivian reached for the red silk around his neck.

"Let me," she said.

She started to twist and turn the fabric around his neck. She was quiet for a few moments, biting her bottom lip as she concentrated on making the intricate knot.

"They won't want to hear a history lesson you know," she said finally.

"Yes," agreed Lester. "Let's start with what we do know... you said… Becker, a spinosaurus and me… were all present in the timelines where Abby and Connor returned. Right?"

"That's correct," replied Vivian. She smoothed the tie flat against his chest, and then left her hands resting lightly on his lapels.

"What about the other team members?" asked Lester.

"Do you really think they want to hear about friends dying too soon," asked Vivian "or worse yet… not even existing?"

"No," agreed Lester. "I suppose not." He brought his hands to her waist and pulled her forward.

"Well… we'll just have to work with what we have," whispered Lester. He leaned his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. Vivian leaned into him, leaning on him. For a moment that was just theirs, time stopped. Then the two pushed apart. His eyes caught hers.

"Shall we?" asked Lester as he looked towards the door.

Vivian nodded. Then, together, Lester and his wife finally left the bathroom to rejoin the others.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter was leaning over Jess's laptop, excitedly talking with Jess and Sarah. Becker was leaning on the wall nearby eying the coelurosauravus. Rex appeared to be very interested in the remnants of dinner left on Jess's plate. Claudia and Danny were talking. Claudia had passed baby Stephanie to Mrs. Hart to hold. For the first time this evening, the older woman had an actual smile on her face. In the kitchenette, Stephen and Jamal were boxing up leftovers and putting them in the fridge.

Faces looked expectantly at the Lesters.

"We've been discussing the various options for finding Abby and Connor," began Lester.

Danny smirked.

"Yeah, right."

Lester stared at the lanky red head and raised one eyebrow ever so slightly in a gesture that seemed to dare Danny to continue. For a moment, no one spoke.

"We got a lot of advantages the other timelines didn't have," said Lester smoothly. "For starters, none of the other timelines had all of you… here… working to bring Abby and Connor back."

"And what are the disadvantages," asked Cutter, narrowing his eyes at the ARC's director.

"It appears that we can expect a rather large creature to come back with Abby and Connor," replied Lester. "A spinosaurus to be exact."

"What's a spinosaurus?" asked the chief of the ARC's security.

"Here," said Jess as she turned her laptop towards Becker. "Take a look… this is a representation based on fossil records. It's not exact, but… it's a good guestimate."

"It's a rather large predator," began Cutter "from the cretaceous…"

"A mean mouthful of teeth," said Danny.

Becker looked at the representation on Jess's laptop.

"That creature is huge," he exclaimed. "Getting that thing back through an anomaly and locking it is going to be difficult. We should really get a tank!"

"If we want to get Connor and Abby back," protested Sarah "we shouldn't be locking the anomalies."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby, Connor and Percy had been walking for a two days before they found the first signs of trouble. A neighboring village that sometimes traded, and sometimes fought, with the friends they had just left appeared to have been attacked recently.

"Breaking the exterior walls," said Percy worriedly, "that wasn't done by someone wanting to stay."

"What do you mean?"

The threesome was looking down on the larger village. Their vantage point on the stone roadway high on the crest of the hills let them observe without being seen. Damage to the village below was readily evident in the shattered gate and crumbling stone wall. Smoldering fires were lit along the village perimeter and armed men paced back and forth, keeping guard.

"Usually invaders try to take over a village, to shelter for the winter," explained Percy. "It's late in the season for this type of destruction."

"Whoever attacked," said Connor "the villagers will be on guard… scared… they're not likely to take to strangers."

"Right, we should go around," said Abby.

"Yeah," agreed Percy. "We should get off the main road for a while, stick to the hill trails."

"Those poor people," sighed Abby.

She shivered in the cold.

"Do you think that whoever attacked that village is still here?"

"Hope not," replied Percy "but three people on foot can stay out of sight a lot easier than armed men on horseback."

"I hope you're right," said Abby as she followed Percy onto the narrow path away from the road.

Connor took one last glimpse of the village. He looked into the darkening forest. Percy and Abby were already out of sight, lost in the thick green branches.

"Wait up!" called Connor as he too slipped into the forest.

As nightfall neared, the group started to look for a place to shelter. Their first night on the road, they had camped beneath some evergreens overlooking a nearby stream. They'd awakened to frost. This second night, they wanted to find someplace less exposed.

"We might lash some branches together for a lean to," suggested Percy. "The evergreens are good for that."

"Or we could try the hut," said Abby.

"What hut?"

They had almost walked past the small thatch covered hut without seeing it. The huts location was betrayed only by the smooth pathway heading to its entrance. The low lying log base appeared to be a jumble of fallen trees, while the thatch roof resembled the nearby hillocks more than something manmade. The path up the mountain slope was the only indication of human presence in this part of the forest.

"What is this hut used for?" asked Abby.

She stooped to follow Percy as he pushed aside an ancient piece of leather hanging over the tiny opening that served as a doorway.

"It's a wood storage hut," answered Percy as he tried to stand.

The center of the hut was the only place high enough for him to straighten up. Connor was crouched by the doorway, looking around cautiously. At Abby and Connor's questioning look, Percy continued.

"Do you remember all the firewood at Henri's village?" asked Percy. "We would have woodsmen cutting firewood, store it in huts, and then later we would have carts haul the firewood into the village."

"So the pathway," said Connor pointing to the smooth ground sloping down the hillside, "it's caused by people and carts from the village we saw earlier?"

"Yeah, but no one is coming here tonight," replied Percy "We can stay inside… it will be warmer."

"There are no tracks in the path," said Connor "it looks like it hasn't been used recently."

Connor remembered the bonfires surrounding the village, and he briefly wondered if maybe the villagers might need more wood soon. He might not have agreed with Percy's idea to stay in the hut, except Abby sneezed just then.

"Yeah," agreed Connor "warmer is good."

He pulled the leather flap back across the entrance. Inside the tiny hut, logs were stacked against the side and rear walls. There was a small opening near the center of the roof. Directly beneath the opening a circle of rough and blackened stones gave evidence of a previous fire. The surrounding dirt floor was covered with broken chips of wood and pieces of bark.

"After it gets dark," said Percy "we can build a fire. Just a small one… so we don't make too much smoke."

"We'll have to be careful," joked Connor "to not set the roof on fire."

"That's not even funny Connor," replied Percy "we don't want anyone seeing us."

The last of the dried fruit and sausage, along with nuts they had gathered earlier that afternoon, made a meager dinner. Percy curled up between the small campfire and the door to sleep, while Abby and Connor huddled together at the rear of the hut. Percy was soon snoring. Abby leaned her head on Connor's chest. The gray cloak made a warm wrap, swirled under, around and over the two of them.

"Are we doing the right thing Connor?" asked Abby. "A journey like this… with winter coming soon."

"We all agreed," reminded Connor "better to start now than in spring when barbarian armies are on the move."

"It seems as if they're on the move now," said Abby remembering the village they had seen earlier.

"Yeah," agreed Connor "but we've got to stick to the plan."

"The plan was for us to walk fifteen miles a day for the next four weeks or so on a paved road," replied Abby "to get to the shore… and then look for a way to cross the channel."

Her blue eyes gazed at Connor. The worry she felt was only intensified by the worry she saw in reflected in his dark brown eyes.

"Do you think we've walked thirty miles in the two days since we left the village?" Abby asked.

"With all the ups and downs, twists and turns," sighed Connor "it feels like a hundred… but I doubt we've even gone fifteen miles."

Abby gasped in dismay.

"We've based our travel estimates on what the monk, Herman, told Percy about his journey," reminded Connor "we might be closer to the shore…"

"Or farther," whispered Abby.

Connor nodded.

"It's hard on Percy," said Abby. "It might be too much for him."

"He didn't want to stay behind," replied Connor "and we couldn't leave him. It wouldn't be right."

Abby and Connor drifted off to sleep between quiet whispers and promises. In the morning, they woke to see snow blowing in through cracks and chinks in the outer walls of the hut. And to hear the sound of voices coming up the hill.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	26. Confrontations

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Confrontations

"…_we shouldn't be locking the anomalies.__"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Everyone turned to stare at Sarah. Stephen and Jamal left the tiny kitchen and rejoined Claudia and Danny standing around the table.

"Well we shouldn't," said Sarah "for all we know we could be locking the anomaly right before they step through."

"We can't leave anomalies open," protested Cutter "the creatures don't belong here and it's a danger to the public."

"Sarah's right," said Claudia. She set her hand down on the table and leaned forward.

"Every time we close an anomaly," said Claudia earnestly "we're cutting down Abby and Connor's chances to find their way home."

From where he was standing between Sarah and Jess, the Professor looked across the room at his wife.

"So are you suggesting we just let the creatures roam free?" Cutter asked.

"No," said Claudia shaking her head. "But we need to keep as many options available as possible."

"A balanced plan," said Lester "is what is needed."

Rex left his perch on the railing above the Lesters, to soar around the room. He landed on the arm of the sofa and chirped at Lester.

"Yeah," chuckled Danny nodding at the creature. "What he said… what's the plan?"

Lester looked at Danny and started to say something, but Vivian answered first.

"We need to change our policy," said Vivian, "instead of locking the anomalies… we need to monitor them… only locking the anomalies if they represent an immediate threat to public safety."

"How do you propose monitoring a spinosaurus?" asked Becker.

The knob on the front door behind him rattled. Heavy pounding shook the door in its frame. A woman's voice could be heard calling. Lester sighed and raised his eyes to the ceiling.

"Christine Johnson," he muttered, shaking his head. He looked across the room at Becker. "Would you let her in please?"

The disagreeable woman who was currently running the ARC stalked into the room followed by two armed assistants. She stared at the anomaly research model which soared upwards in the rear of the room.

"So what exactly are you up to James?" Johnson asked with a sneer. "I've had surveillance teams following you since you transferred departments… and now we've finally found where you go after leaving the ARCH. The minister will hear about this."

"Oh yes, Christine," replied Lester "he will most certainly hear about you using tax payer funds to find and interrupt a private dinner party."

Johnson glanced around the room, noting each member of the ARC's former staff. Her eyes barely rested on the older woman sitting at the table holding little Stephanie, before moving past the woman. Johnson stopped and stared at Stephen.

"You!" she exclaimed. "Now I've been looking for you since you disappeared in June. I never really got a chance to talk to you."

The nasty woman walked slowly around the room, coming to stand directly in front of Stephen. She pointed one finger and jabbed it into Stephen's chest. He winced.

"You… are… not… Stephen Hart," said Johnson, poking him with each and every word. "But I'd really like to know who you are."

At the end of the table, Mrs. Hart caught Claudia's eye. Claudia stepped forward and took Stephanie out of her arms. The older woman put one hand on the table and reached for her cane with the other. She slowly rose to stand.

"Quit poking my nephew," said Mrs. Hart as she slowly walked towards Johnson.

"Your nephew?" asked Johnson, turning to gaze at Mrs. Hart in confusion.

"My sister's son," confirmed Mrs. Hart. "Surely… if you've ever met my son… or seen a picture of him… you can see the family resemblance."

"Hmmph, who are you?" huffed Johnson. "And what are you doing with these miscreants?"

Mrs. Hart walked closer.

"These miscreants… as you call them," said Mrs. Hart narrowing her eyes "were my son's friends… and this is a private dinner party."

"No… no… no… this is not a dinner party," laughed Johnson. "This is some sort of plot… it has to do with the anomaly research center."

Mrs. Hart continued to stare at Johnson as if she were a bug under a magnifying glass. The older woman glanced at Lester.

"I don't think we've been introduced properly," said Mrs. Hart.

Lester smirked… for just a moment. Then he stepped forward.

"Oh Christine… Eleanor… forgive me," said Lester, his voice dripping honey. "Where are my manners?"

Lester made the introductions.

"Christine Johnson, head of the Anomaly Research Center," said Lester "I'd like to introduce you to Eleanor Hart… senior financial budget analyst for the minister of defense."

Johnson blinked. Her eyes widened.

"The ARC… and all of its associated expenses," said Mrs. Hart "are under your jurisdiction at the moment."

Johnson nodded.

"I think we need to talk," added Mrs. Hart "about your use of the taxpayer's money. Tomorrow morning… nine o'clock… at my office."

"Christine," said Lester grabbing the woman by the elbow "let me see you to the door."

Johnson and her men were soon gone. Lester came back to speak with Mrs. Hart.

"Thank you," said Lester.

"I didn't do it for you," replied Mrs. Hart.

She nodded at Stephen. The young man was standing with Danny, Cutter, Claudia, Sarah, Jamal, Jess, Becker and Vivian. They were all around the anomaly research model. Jess was holding her laptop, reading off coordinates. Cutter was trying to attach the new connections to the model.

"That Stephen," said Mrs. Hart "if he's stuck here, he's going to need identification papers… a job, but most of all… he's going to need friends… and family."

"Yes," agreed Lester. His gaze rested on Vivian. "We all do."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Percy," hissed Connor "wake up."

"Sssh," replied the older man "I'm already awake. Gather your things, someone is coming."

"We know," whispered Abby "we can hear them."

Abby and Connor picked up their rucksacks, while Percy crawled closer to the entrance of the hut. He lifted the leather hanging in front of the opening just enough to peek out. He stifled a groan and turned to look at Abby and Connor.

"You'll need to move fast," said Percy "as soon as you get through the opening, start running for the woods… don't stop running."

"We'll all need to move fast," said Connor.

"Yeah," added Abby "we're following you. Remember?"

Abby's eyes opened wide as Percy reached for the scabbard lying on the ground beside him. He got off his knees, moving into a crouching position. Percy pulled out the sword.

"Not this time," said Percy with a grin. "As I'm the only one with a weapon, I'll bring up the rear."

"No," Abby insisted, "you're coming with us."

"You're not the only one with a weapon," said Connor.

Connor started to unzip the rucksack. At the same time Percy threw back the leather cover from the doorway and stepped out into the early morning.

"Hurry," hissed Percy, pointing to the right, "that way… to the woods."

Abby and Connor scrambled out of out of the hut. Straightening up, they saw pinkish orange light just cresting above the treetops to the east. A brisk wind sent tiny flakes of snow dancing around them. Abby started to move right, heading towards the tree line. Connor stopped and stared.

On the gentle sloping path below them, they could see a man on horse back. He was talking to two other men. These men, standing on the ground behind him and with the light of coming dawn in their faces, were carrying single bladed axes. A fourth man was sitting on the bench seat of an oxcart, holding the reins and clucking hopefully, trying to encourage the beast to move.

"They're not barbarians," said Connor "they're from the village… probably just need wood. Why are we running away?"

"We're not running from them," hissed Percy.

He pointed to the left. The trail they had been walking on yesterday was still deep in the shadows, but beneath the trees, the outlines of six or maybe more men could be seen. These men were definitely not from the village they had seen yesterday. This group was bristling with weapons, swords, spears, a double bladed axe that wasn't suitable for chopping wood and other deadly looking objects. The barbarians appeared to be watching the oncoming villagers.

"Move," urged Percy.

"We can't," protested Connor "those men will kill the villagers. We've got to stop them."

"We can't stop them," argued Percy "we'll just get ourselves killed too."

Connor reached into the open rucksack and pulled out the last stun grenade from the supplies Becker had given them so long ago.

"This might help," replied Connor "at least give the villagers a warning."

"You're going to change history," cautioned Percy.

"For all we know, we already changed history," said Connor "by leaving tracks yesterday for the barbarians to follow... we can't just let them kill the villagers."

Connor strode past Percy. Standing to the left of his friend, he pulled the pin and reaching his arm back to throw the stun grenade. The wind caught the folds of the gray cloak causing the fabric to billow out behind him.

"Hurry Conn," hissed Abby "I think they heard us."

"Oh yeah," said Percy. "They heard us."

On the edge of the forest path, a tall and broad shouldered man stood nearest. He turned his gaze from watching the villagers to see Abby, Connor and Percy. This man stepped away from the other barbarians, coming out from beneath the trees.

"Cover your ears," cried Connor as he released the stun grenade in a high arc.

On the slope below, the villagers had now seen Connor, Percy and Abby. Their low muttering voices turned to sounds of alarm when the tall blonde man with his hair pulled tightly back from his face came into view. Behind the man, the other barbarians turned to see what the villagers were looking at.

The stun grenade landed in front of the man holding the double bladed axe.

"Oh no," said Abby "it hasn't…"

The blast knocked Abby, Connor, Percy and all the barbarians to the ground. On the lower slope of the hill, the village men dropped their axes. They were covering their ears and crying out in fear or awe or something. The ox was bellowing, and the man who had been trying to get the animal to move was now trying to calm the creature. Similarly, the horse was rearing in fright. The rider was frantically trying to rein in the animal.

Abby recovered first. She quickly rolled over. Pushing herself first into a crouch, she then stood up.

In front of her, Percy had been knocked flat on his back. He'd dropped the sword when he fell. It was lying on the ground near Connor's rucksack. Moving slowly, he was trying to sit up.

Just past Percy, Connor had also been knocked backwards. Lying on the cloak, he appeared stunned and was sprawled out with his arms spread wide. The contents of the rucksack had spilled out when he fell. The cell phones and anomaly opening devices were scattered across the ground between him and Percy.

"Guys," hissed Abby "hurry! Get up."

"Ohh," moaned Connor. He rolled over, tangling himself within the cloak. He moved to pull himself up on his hands and knees facing Abby, still trying to unwind the heavy woolen fabric from around his body.

Directly past Connor, the tall blonde barbarian was already standing upright. Shaking his head, he quickly looked around, assessing the situation. The villagers appeared to be no threat. Behind him the other barbarians were still out cold. The man settled his gaze on the three people in front of the hut. His eyes met Abby's for a brief moment, before glancing at Percy and finally settling on Connor.

Quickly the long legged man approached their group, coming to a stop directly behind Connor. The blonde barbarian didn't bother to unsheathe the sword strapped to his left side. Instead, the man pulled out a long handled dagger from a smaller scabbard hidden within the folds of his clothing. Grasping the shaft with both hands, he raised the weapon high over his head.

"No!" cried Percy.

"No!" screamed Abby.

She ran forward passing Percy as he reached for his sword. Leaping high in the air, her first kick caught the blonde barbarian in his Adam's apple. He staggered back a step and dropped the dagger. Choking and grasping at his throat, he fell back to the ground. Abby's second kick put her heavy brown boot across the man's forehead. He fell back, out cold.

"Always knew you were dangerous" said Percy admiringly. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"Self defense course," replied Abby. "Living in a big city like London, a woman needs to know how to take care of herself."

"Guys," gasped Connor.

Connor appeared oblivious to his near death experience. Instead, he was staring at where Percy's sword was now touching the powerless anomaly opening device. Percy's frantic scrambling had pushed the fire blackened blade against gadget. The anomaly opening device was glowing.

"It's on!" exclaimed Abby. "We can open an anomaly."

"We can go home!" exclaimed Percy.

"We can go somewhere," said Connor.

He reached for the device. Connor's fingers closed around the metal casing. The beveled glass was lit up with a swirling, twirling array of lines.

"We need to get away," said Percy "before the villagers get here."

The villagers were coming up the hill. Connor shoved the remainder of his gadgets into the rucksack and stood up. He pressed buttons on the anomaly opening device. The air in front of the little group shimmered, fractured and an anomaly opened. Abby, Connor and Percy stepped through to another time and place. Behind them the shimmering fractured light swirled once more and the anomaly closed.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

And if somewhere, a story has survived in a small village about a knight, an elf and a wizard, saving the citizenry from a barbarian attack… well surely… that's nothing more than fiction.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	27. The Warrior's Quest

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 The Warrior's Quest

"…_we shouldn't be locking the anomalies.__"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker didn't get his tank.

"The budget is strained enough already," fussed Lester. "Be glad I was able to get you and your security team additional weaponry."

The L17A2 underbarrel grenade launchers were a welcome addition to the equipment in Becker's opinion. And they had the advantage of being more easily deployed than a tank.

"If we get a large enough anomaly for a spinosaurus to come through," argued Becker "we really should set an armed perimeter including a tank."

Only one anomaly in the ten days since Christine Johnson's budgetary crisis had been revealed had been big enough for a spinosaurus. However, that anomaly had been located underwater. The megalodon in the Celtic Sea was reason enough to cause Lester to order it be locked. Cutter's dry remark that Abby and Connor wouldn't be able to breathe underwater was beside the point.

The members of the ARCH were taking back their jobs. Johnson herself had been reassigned… rumor had it she had been sent to Adelaide Antarctica. Other rumors abounded about the imminent reorganization of the ARC and ARCH… consolidation… cut backs… downsizing… were just some of the more worrisome words being used.

James and Vivian Lester along with Nick and Claudia Cutter were involved in interminable meetings. Sarah and Jess were tweaking Connor's tracking program updating it daily. Danny and Stephen joined Becker and his security team on field missions.

The ARC and its work continued on.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"When are we?" asked Percy.

Percy stopped walking to sheath the sword in its scabbard. He slung the strap over his shoulder. Abby and Connor also stopped walking and looked around.

The tall trees could have been from any of several different eras. Warm afternoon sunlight shone down upon a forest path covered with pine needles and various twigs and sticks.

"Dunno," replied Connor. "Conifers have been around since the late carboniferous… could be Permian… Jurassic… Cretaceous… or even someplace in modern England… like the Forest of Dean."

"We should only be so lucky," said Abby.

Connor handed Abby the glowing anomaly opening device. Then he loosened the gray woolen cloak from around his shoulders and folded it over his arm. Then Percy looked at the young scientist in surprise.

"What do you mean you don't know?" asked Percy. "The last anomaly… back at the dolmen… you said it went to somewhen in the mid-twentieth century… how could you know that… and not know when we are now?"

"I saw the car," responded Connor as if that were self-explanatory.

"What car Connor?" asked Abby as she handed the flickering anomaly opening device back to him. "We don't usually see through the anomalies… and I don't remember seeing a car."

Abby wiped one hand across her forehead and started unbuttoning her jacket.

"When the woman and the raptor backed through the anomaly… I could see clearly through the opening," Connor replied "there was a car parked on one side… there was a man there too… he had an easel… it looked like he was painting something… he could probably see us too."

"Okay, so there was something different about that anomaly… and you were able to see through the anomaly," said Percy "but the car could have been from anytime since they started making cars… or even some future time."

"Maybe, but the car I saw was a Renault 4CV… it was only manufactured from August 1947 to July 1961," replied Connor "and that one looked pretty shiny and new."

Both Abby and Percy stared at Connor.

"You can identify the make and model of a car," asked Percy incredulously "from just one brief glimpse… from so far away?

"Don't have to be close," said Connor, "just have to see it. I know cars just like I know dinosaurs when I see them."

"Hmmph," muttered Abby. She removed her jacket and handed it to Connor. He looked startled.

"Just hold it," said Abby "while I take the hoodie off. It's too hot to wear now."

She started to pull Connor's red hooded sweatshirt up over her shoulders. Both men averted their gaze, staring into the light dappled forest. The gray printed t-shirt she was wearing beneath the hoodie tried to cling to the sweatshirt, but Abby managed to keep it in place. She then handed Connor the sweatshirt and took back her jacket. Abby glanced at Percy.

"Aren't you hot wearing that?" she asked the man in the brown leather clothing.

"I'm fine," responded Percy "just wish there was a way to tell when we are."

"Yeah," agreed Connor, "but I haven't a clue."

Connor dropped the cloak to the ground and then knelt on it. He set the intact anomaly opening device down by his knee. Opening the rucksack, he began to shove the red hooded sweatshirt into the bag. He held out his hand and Abby shook her head.

"I'll keep this jacket on," she said sliding her arms back into the sleeves.

Connor zipped the rucksack closed. Then he reached to pick up the anomaly opening device that had brought them to this place. Connor paused, bringing it closer to his face. The glowing light was all but gone.

"Oh no," groaned Connor "it's dying again."

"What?" exclaimed Abby. She knelt down beside Connor.

The barking call of a raptor sounded through the forest.

"I think we just found out when we are," said Percy with a worried look.

Percy pulled the sword he had so recently sheathed back out. He rested the pointed end on the ground in front of Connor. The device in Connor's hands began to glow a little. Connor's lips curled up in a grin. He scooted closer towards Percy. The ring and the chain around Connor's neck lifted in the air, reaching towards the sword. The device in Connor's hand shone even brighter.

"What kind of ore did Henri use in his new smelting process?" asked Connor.

"Dunno… something black, I was kind of hoping it was carbon," responded Percy "thought maybe it would make the sword stronger."

"No, I don't think it was carbon," said Connor shaking his head "it was probably magnetite."

Another call echoed through the forest.

"Later yeah," hissed Abby as she rose to stand. "Connor, get up. We need to be ready to run."

"We need to open another anomaly," insisted Connor.

He rose to stand between Percy and Abby. Holding the device next to the magnetized sword, Connor began to press buttons.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Since the decision to let the anomalies close naturally had been made, most of the anomalies that occurred had blinked in and out of existence quickly. Becker always checked open anomalies to the cretaceous era personally. This small one near the Forest of Dean had originally opened on Tuesday. Defying the trend to disappear quickly, this anomaly had lingered, remaining open for the past three days.

Becker greeted the two members of his security team assigned to monitor this incursion. The anomaly was barely big enough to allow the dracorex that had been roaming in and out of time passage from one world to the next.

"There's been no change Sir," said Worthington.

Jess's voice crackled over his ear bud. Becker smiled.

"Yes Jess," he replied "there are still some daisies left for the dracorex."

The dracorex had been munching the flowers in the cottage garden at the Clearwell Caves Visitor's center since they first appeared. The sweet peas were entirely gone. The back row of large white daisies was nearly all gone. If the timid creatures ever worked up the nerve to move forward, the row of daisies near the parking area would soon disappear as well.

The facility manager was having a fit. He seemed less worried about the presence of the dracorex and more concerned about the potential loss of revenue if the Visitor's Center remained a restricted area. School tours were expected to begin in just a week.

Jess informed Becker that the facility manager was currently in a meeting with Lester and the minister. Becker listened to Jess's continued chatter but was soon forced to interrupt her.

"Jess," said Becker "we're going to need more back up… now… the anomaly is expanding… and something is coming through."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor looked at the device in his hands in frustration. The blinking lights appeared to be indicating the gadget had power.

"I don't understand," said Connor "there should be an anomaly opening… right here… in front of us."

"Connor," asked Abby "what happens if you push those buttons… and there is already an anomaly open?"

The slim brown haired man turned to look at her.

"Dunno," replied Connor "it's never happened before."

Abby pointed her finger to a spot beyond him. A glowing light was shining, and growing larger, soaring up into the air.

"I think," the blue eyed woman said "it may have happened."

The barking call of a raptor echoed through the forest. The sound was coming closer. Abby, Connor and Percy were between the sound of the raptor and the glowing light.

"We should get moving," said Percy.

A huge roar that was louder than the sound of any raptor filled the air. A raptor ran past them without slowing down.

"What scares a raptor?" asked Abby.

"Don't want to find out," said Connor. "Run."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

The dracorex were scattering. Whatever was on the other side of the anomaly obviously had them in a panic. They jumped the row of daisies near the parking area and kept on running.

"Don't worry about the dracorex," said Becker to Worthington and Smythe "we can round them up later. Right now, keep your weapons trained on the anomaly."

Becker stared at the growing glowing light. Jess's voice sounded in his ear.

"Security backup is on its way," she said in a calm, efficient tone. "And Danny and Stephen are coming from the Briavels anomaly… it already closed. Cutter and Sarah are on their way too."

Becker barely had time to mutter thanks before the first raptor came running through the anomaly. It was quickly followed by another. The snarling, snapping creatures approached the three soldiers. Young Smythe looked to Becker uncertainly.

"Is that the kind of creature we contain," the young man asked "or shoot to kill?"

Becker and Worthington let the volley of their assault rifles answer the question.

"If it tries to kill you," said Becker "defend yourself. Remember… we're here to maintain public safety."

"Sir," said Worthington "something else is coming through."

The man in the brown leather clothing staggered through the anomaly, moved a few steps further, then collapsed.

"Wait here," instructed Becker "guns at the ready."

The tall soldier approached the fallen man. The man looked almost familiar.

"Becker," called the man. He held one arm across his lower abdomen and groaned.

"Percy?" asked Becker "How did you…"

Percy was pointing back at the anomaly.

"Abby and Connor," said Percy "they're still back there... and a spinosaurus…"

Becker turned his head and called back to his security team.

"Worthington," said Becker "get this man out of harms way. Smythe… get the anomaly locking device from the SUV… if a spinosaurus sticks its head through… lock the anomaly."

"Wait…," called Percy as the soldier strode through the anomaly. "Becker!"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker stopped on the other side of the anomaly. He checked the clip on the L85A2, then for good measure loaded a grenade in the underbarrel grenade launcher. This wooded forest looked more suited for a hike with friends he thought. It hardly seemed possible that this peaceful place could hold a threatening creature like a spinosaurus. But then, he heard a scream.

"Connor," cried Abby "No!"

Becker ran towards the sound.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny slammed both hands on the car horn. The driver in the small compact car in front of him jerked nervously and tried to restart the stalled engine. The car was blocking the tight intersection, and the ARCs huge SUV couldn't pass. He could hear Jess's calm voice on the ear bud.

"If you can back up," Jess said "there is an alternate route."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker crested the low ridge. On the forest floor below, he could see Abby crouched by a body. The sprawled figure on the ground had to be Connor. Abby appeared to be trying to pull Connor out of the path of the oncoming spinosaurus. Becker ran down the hill. Placing himself in between his friends and the creature, he stepped wide, steadying himself. Becker pulled the trigger on the L17A2. The recoil of the grenade launcher rocked him slightly. Becker reloaded.

The grenade landed just past the moving spinosaurus. The explosion distracted the creature. The dinosaur turned to look in the direction of the dangerous sound. Becker fired the second grenade. This one exploded directly in front of the beast. It howled in pain and fear. Becker reloaded again, but he didn't fire this time. The creature turned away from the small group of humans and headed straight towards the anomaly.

"No," breathed Becker.

The anomaly shimmered, fractured, and closed.

"Becker," called Abby.

He turned to look at the petite woman kneeling next to Connor. Her blue eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Thank you," said Abby "you saved our lives."

Beside her Connor groaned.

"The anomaly is closed," sighed Becker "we're all stuck here."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter and Sarah arrived just minutes after Danny and Stephen. Danny was arguing with one of Becker's security detail.

"No Sir," replied young Smythe. "Captain Becker gave orders… if a spinosaurus sticks its head through… lock the anomaly."

"And where is Captain Becker now?" asked the Professor.

"He went through the anomaly sir."

"We need to go get Captain Becker," said Cutter.

"That's exactly what I've been telling him," exclaimed Danny. "The spinosaurus is no threat now."

Cutter looked at poor creature. The unfortunate beast had come through the anomaly, leaving a bloody trail from the anomaly, through the garden, and across the parking lot. The trail circled back and came to a halt. The body of the spinosaurus lay directly in front of a row of white daisies.

"You can unlock the anomaly now," said Cutter.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor groaned again.

"What happened to him?" asked Becker.

"We were running, heading towards the anomaly," explained Abby "when some little furry thing with whiskers ran out in front of Connor… he tripped… fell… hit his head."

Becker gave a small smile.

"Yeah," said Becker "he does that a lot."

Abby and Becker watched as Connor pushed himself up off the ground. He wiped some leaves from his mouth. He put one hand to his forehead, and leaned back on the other hand.

"It was an Eomaia," said Connor.

He looked from Abby to Becker.

"My head hurts," said Connor. "Can we go home now?"

"That might be a bit of a problem Connor," said Becker "the anomaly is locked."

"We can open it," said Connor.

He looked around in confusion.

"Abby," asked Connor "where is the anomaly opening device? And Percy's sword? And Percy?"

"Percy made it home," said Becker.

Abby and Becker searched the forest floor and soon found the blackened blade that Henri had made for Percy, but there was no sign of the beveled glass and metal casing that was the functional anomaly opening device.

"I had it in my hand," said Connor for the umpteenth time "when I tripped. It has got to be here."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter was getting red in the face. His argument with the young security officer was going nowhere. Sarah whispered something to Danny and Stephen, and the three circled around the two men.

"What are you doing?" asked Cutter.

"Practicing restraint," replied Danny with a cheeky grin.

He and Stephen grabbed Smythe and held the young man back. Sarah walked over to the anomaly locking mechanism. She typed in some commands on the keyboard, and the anomaly shimmered, fractured and opened.

"What are you doing to my cadet?" asked Worthington.

He looked at the group suspiciously and raised his weapon just a hairs breadth.

"And what are you doing with the anomaly locking mechanism?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Abby was the first one to realize the anomaly had opened again.

"Guys," she said "quickly now… we need to move."

"Don't forget the sword," said Connor.

Becker rolled his eyes at the scientist's words.

With Abby supporting Connor on one side, and Becker on the other side, the three friends walked up the hill, through the anomaly and back to England.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	28. The Wizard's Return

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 The Wizard's Return

"…_back to England.__"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter was standing in front of the anomaly when Abby, Connor and Becker stepped back into England. Danny, Sarah and Stephen stood behind him. Behind them, another half-dozen security personnel stood. It looked as if they were preparing to go through… a rescue mission perhaps.

"Glad you're back," greeted Cutter. "What took you so long?"

The Professor's eyes glanced from one team member to another. Abby looked a little disheveled. Otherwise, she appeared fine. Becker had his weapon slung over his shoulder, one arm supporting Connor and a sword held in his other hand. Not a hair was out-of-place. The soldier looked as if he had just come out of the locker room at the ARC.

"Oh the usual," said Becker "picking up stuff Connor dropped."

"Hey," responded Connor indignantly "I didn't drop the sword."

Cutter turned his gaze to the young scientist. The slim, dark haired man was standing between Abby and Becker. Connor stood on his right foot only. His left knee was bent, keeping his weight off his left foot. Connor had one arm thrown across Abby's shoulder, his other arm was around Becker for support.

"What happened to you?"

"We were almost to the anomaly," replied Connor. "I tripped… but don't really know…"

"He tripped over a small mammal," continued Abby "fell backwards and rolled down the hill."

Connor was looking around the garden and parking lot. The sign near the parking area entrance identified the place as the Clearwell Caverns Visitor's Center. Two of Becker's security staff stood in front of the building near the anomaly locking mechanism.

"Where's Percy?" asked Connor. "He was with us…"

"Worthington settled a man in the Visitor's Center office," explained Cutter. "Perhaps we should go in the office to talk… we can get you into a chair."

"Good idea," agreed Abby.

The core group turned away from the anomaly and started towards the building. Becker called instructions out to his security team.

"There are some dracorex running around," Becker said "they're not dangerous, so tranquilizers only. Round them up and then we can return them."

Connor's eyes widened as he noticed the man following Danny towards the Visitor's Center.

"Is that Stephen?" he whispered to Abby.

"Can't be," answered Abby. "Or can it?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Percy was sitting in a large padded office chair in front of a big metal desk. Another empty chair a few feet away was also facing the desk. Percy was still holding his lower abdomen. He looked up as the team entered. Sarah, Danny and Stephen filed into the room and moved behind him to stand along the wall. Abby, Connor and Becker entered the room sideways, as together they were too wide for the door. Percy frowned at Abby.

"You kicked me," said Percy "and then you pushed me."

Abby and Becker walked Connor over to the other vacant office chair. Abby released her hold on Connor as Becker eased the scientist down into the seat. Connor slipped the rucksack off his shoulders and settled it on the floor beside his feet. Cutter walked past them all and went to the facility manager's desk. Cutter turned around and sat on the desktop facing all of them.

"You grabbed me," replied Abby "be glad I didn't kick you any harder."

"Or lower," said Sarah with a smirk.

"I was just doing what Connor asked," huffed Percy.

Abby turned to look from Percy to Connor. Her eyes narrowed as she gazed at Connor.

"Percy," hissed Abby "what did Connor ask you to do?"

Percy started to say something, but Connor waved his hand to silence the man. Connor's dark brown eyes gazed directly at Abby.

"Abby," began Connor "I just asked him… if there ever came a time when I couldn't go on… to make sure you were safe."

"You… you… you," spluttered Abby. "You're totally daft! You might have been killed."

"And you," said Connor.

"But luckily," interrupted Cutter, forestalling any argument, "you weren't."

Connor looked up at the professor and then around the room. His gaze settled on Danny.

"And since we're still here," Connor said "I guess that means Helen didn't succeed in stopping humanity from ever starting."

"At least in this universe," said Danny.

Danny looked at Abby and Connor quizzically.

"Do we have the right Abby and Connor," asked the former copper.

"What?" asked Abby.

"You found other timelines!" exclaimed Connor in sudden realization.

Connor turned to look at Stephen.

"Are you from a different timeline," asked Connor "or a clone?"

"I'm not a clone," replied Stephen.

He looked at the two newly returned members of the ARC curiously.

"I understand the Stephen from this timeline died," said the brown haired man. "Were the two of you friends?"

"Yeah," said Connor closing his eyes at the memory, "we were friends."

"Just friends," added Abby. She placed her hand on Connor's shoulder.

"I ran into this Stephen in the Pliocene," explained Danny "couldn't leave him there."

"How did you get home?" asked Connor. "And what happened to Helen?

"That Helen," said Danny carefully "is no longer a threat."

"Danny took a round about way to return home," said Cutter. "He was gone for four years in his personal timeline."

Abby's blue eyes opened wide in alarm. Connor collapsed against the seat back with a sigh. He looked up at Cutter.

"Four years!" exclaimed Connor.

"How long have we been gone?" asked Abby. She looked worried.

"No… no… don't misunderstand," said Cutter. "Danny got back to our time just three days after you first disappeared."

"Today is Friday," said Becker answering Abby's question "August 28, 2009."

"Rex, Sid, Nancy and your other pets are fine," added Sarah reassuringly.

The relieved expression that crossed Abby's face was visible to everyone. The panic in Connor's face was just as evident.

"We left Rex, Sid and Nancy at Lester's," said Connor. "If they've done any damage at his London flat…"

"Relax, they're with me," said Stephen. "I've watched all the creatures at Abby's flat."

Abby and Connor exchanged a glance at this news.

"Have you been living at my flat?" asked Abby.

Stephen nodded.

"Don't worry," he said "I didn't go into your things. I just used the empty bedroom upstairs... and the kitchen... and..."

"We've all used your front room," said Danny "for a meeting area."

Abby's eyes opened wide at that comment, but she didn't say anything as Cutter started speaking again.

"How long do you think," asked Cutter "you have been away?"

Abby and Connor exchanged another glance and then looked at Percy.

"We left the cretaceous," said Abby "after one night."

"I thought the anomaly opening device had lost power," said Danny in a puzzled tone. "How did you get away?"

"We found another anomaly opening device," continued Connor.

Connor bent forward and picked up the rucksack. He unzipped it and started rummaging through it. He dropped the red hooded sweatshirt on the floor beside his feet. Then he pulled out his black cell phone and set it on top of the sweatshirt. Finally, Connor pulled out the broken anomaly device. He didn't notice Danny staring at the black cell phone.

"Used this device," said Connor "to get to another time and place. That's where we met up with Percy."

"The leaves were almost all gone from the trees when we first got there," remembered Abby. "And we returned to the cretaceous shortly after the first snowfall."

Connor was nodding in agreement.

"Yeah," he said "we were there a season… so... maybe three months."

"More like four months… maybe five," disagreed Percy. "We had a dry summer… leaves fell from the trees earlier than usual… and a warm fall… snows were late… you really haven't seen winter there."

Cutter looked closely at Percy for the first time.

"You're not looking too good. The last time I saw you," said the Scot "you were close to Abby and Connor's age… now you look older than me."

"Probably am," replied Percy "it's been at least ten or twelve years since I last saw you. I must say… you're looking better now."

Jess's voice crackled in Becker's ear bud. He grinned.

"Lester wants to know what's keeping us," the soldier said "Perhaps we should continue this debriefing at the ARC."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

When they arrived in London at the ARC, Lester was waiting for them in the car park. He was standing with his hands clasped behind his back. Lester looked a trifle bored.

"Finally," greeted Lester as if their delayed return were something that had personally inconvenienced him.

"Good to have you…" started Lester.

Lester stopped speaking in mid sentence. His eyes narrowed as Becker helped Connor from the SUV.

"What have you done to yourself this time?" asked their boss. "You know how I hate filling out health and safety forms.

"Good to see you Lester," started Connor.

"Did you miss us?" asked Abby with a smirk.

"Off to medical with you three," ordered Lester looking at Abby, Connor and Percy. Lester waved at Becker and the others, "In my office… now."

"No!" exclaimed Connor.

"What?" asked Lester. He raised his eyebrows.

"The sword is magnetized," explained Connor. "You can't take it in where the computers are… it will wipe the entire system."

Lester turned to gaze at Becker and the blackened sword he was still carrying.

"And what are we going to do with that?" Lester asked. "I certainly don't want it left lying around here."

"Um… uh… I suppose," replied Becker "I could keep it in my flat until we decide what to do with it… but I don't think I can take a sword on the subway with me."

Lester adjusted the settings on his ear bud.

"Miss Parker," said Lester "would you kindly drive Captain Becker home?"

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"I'm sorry," said Becker yet again. "I didn't mean to inconvenience you. I could have driven the ARCs SUV. "

"No, no… it's not an inconvenience," replied Jess.

The petite brunette was smiling as she navigated her bright orange car through the busy London streets.

"Those big SUVs really aren't practical for rush hour traffic," she added as she pulled up to the curb. "I'll wait here for you."

Becker blinked. He tried to think fast, if only he wasn't quite so distracted by the beautiful young woman in front of him.

"You should probably wait inside," Becker stammered. "It might take a bit for me to put this sword away… got to make sure it's… secure."

Becker held his breath for a moment. Did he sound like an incredible git he wondered or worse yet like some lech trying to make a move on the young communications specialist?

Jess turned off the ignition.

Becker locked the sword away in his gun cabinet and then returned to the front room of his flat. Jess was staring at some of the commemorative pictures he had on the wall above the sofa. The large picture from Afghanistan was a bittersweet reminder of his former friends… and their loss. The sand colored beret above the picture and the medals mounted to the left and right of the picture were a mute testament to Becker's actions in that far away desert country.

"You were in SAS," said Jess, obviously recognizing the emblems.

"Yeah," replied Becker.

"And now you've got a real sword of your own," smiled Jess.

"The ARCs really," said Becker "but yeah, I'll keep it for now… as long as there are no flames involved."

Jess looked momentarily confused by his comment, but then she remembered the cap badge with its downward pointing Excalibur, wreathed in flame.

"That would violate health and safety," Jess replied with a chuckle.

Becker grinned at her quoting Lester.

"Uh… can I make you a cup of tea?" he asked.

"Oh, no," answered Jess "being late my first day after the promotion wouldn't exactly look good."

She opened the front door and stepped out of the flat.

"Congratulations," said Becker as he followed her outside. "What is the promotion?"

"Part of the consolidation of the ARC and ARCH," explained Jess.

Her eyes were lit up and if anything, her smile was brighter than before.

"My new job title is field coordinator," Jess said "and it pays better too."

"That's wonderful," said Becker.

The brave soldier took a deep breath, and decided to continue.

"We should celebrate," he said. "May I take you out for dinner… tonight?"

Jess unlocked her compact car and then looked up at him through her long eyelashes.

"I've already got plans tonight," she said regretfully.

Then Jess took her own deep breath.

"How about next Friday?" she asked.

"Perfect," breathed Becker.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Connor was sitting on the examining room table with his leg stretched out in front of him. Abby and Percy had already been dismissed to rejoin the others in Lester's office. The corpsman removed the furry leggings Connor had worn through multiple time periods and set them in a pile at the end of the table. Then he cut off the remaining bottom of Connor's left pants leg and began wrapping Connor's sprained ankle.

Claudia came into the medical department carrying Stephanie. Connor gaped at the woman and baby.

"Well I guess we have been gone a while," said Connor.

Claudia was shaking her head. It was a little awkward, but she tried to give Connor a one-armed hug.

"I'm so glad you're back," Claudia said with a smile "don't know how we've managed without you and Abby."

Connor flushed a bit.

"Glad we're back too," replied Connor. "It looks like we've missed a few important things while we were gone."

"There have been some changes," agreed Claudia "work… has been a bit crazy lately."

"Crazier than usual you mean?" asked Connor.

Claudia nodded. Then Connor looked a little closer at the baby.

"Boy or girl?"

"A girl," answered Claudia "her name is Stephanie."

The corpsman put the last clip on the wrapping and stepped back.

"I'll just get you a pair of crutches," the medical technician said before stepping out into the corridor.

The sound of voices caused Connor and Claudia to look towards the door. Lester, his wife, Cutter, Abby, Percy, Danny, Stephen, Sarah, Jess and Becker entered the room.

"It's late," said Lester "we should all go home… resume the debriefing on Monday morning."

"I think that sounds great," said Connor. "Home."

Lester turned to stare at the ARCs technical wizard.

"Danny has offered Percy a place on his sofa," said Lester. "Everyone else can go home. But before my wife and I return to our home in the country for the weekend, I wanted to make sure you had a place to stay."

Connor opened his mouth, and then shut it without saying a word. He hadn't thought about where he would be staying when he returned to England.

Abby walked across the room to stand next to Connor.

"He's my boyfriend," said Abby.

She reached for Connor's hand.

"And he's coming home with me."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


	29. Home

**Disclaimer: Primeval does not belong to me, this is fan fiction, not for profit.**

**Any references to people, places, businesses etc is entirely fictitious.**

3.11 Home

"…_we should all go home..__.__"_

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Lester went inside the rental agency to get the car keys.

"A mini-van," asked the rental agent in surprise "do I have the right reservation?"

"Yes, a mini-van," said Lester.

He didn't bother to explain anything to the rental agent. Lester just hurriedly signed the rental agreement and drove to the London flat that he and his family had called home all summer long.

Vivian, the children and his mother were already packed. They loaded the mini-van and climbed in.

"We've got a lot to do this weekend," said Vivian. "The children's school starts the next week."

She started ticking off the things to do on her fingers. Shopping for last-minute school necessities, the grocers, the library, and if it was nice out… perhaps one last outing with the children… a picnic and a hike up by the lake afterwards…

Lester smiled at his wife's ever-increasing list of things to do. As he pulled the mini-van into the travel lane on the highway, he reached across and took her hand in his.

"Everything else can wait," Lester said. "Let's just go home."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Cutter opened the front door. Claudia, carried Stephanie inside.

"It's a miracle Connor and Abby are back," said Claudia. "The ARCH works with time displaced people every day. Most never return to their own time... to their own place."

"Being in the wrong time," said Cutter "could drive a person mad. The anomaly mapping project will help restore people to their proper times…"

Claudia put a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. She dropped her gaze to the sleeping child in her arms.

"Work can wait until Monday," said Claudia firmly.

Cutter smiled in agreement as he followed his wife and child upstairs. It was good to be home.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Sarah left the ARC and drove to the British Museum. She could see Jamal standing on the sidewalk waiting for her. His face lit up with a smile when he saw her. She pulled the car up next to the kerb. He climbed into the front passenger seat and leaned across the driveshaft to give her a kiss before starting to buckle up.

"You know," said Sarah "if you took Lester's offer and came to work at the ARC… we could car pool together."

Jamal chuckled. He turned his dark eyes to gaze at her. He leaned back across the driveshaft to give her a more thorough kiss.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you about his offer," whispered the man when they parted.

Sarah smirked and tossed her long dark hair back over her shoulder as she checked the mirrors.

"One of us needs a regular job you know," said Jamal. "What if we ever decide to have children?"

"What?"

"Pay attention to the traffic now," said Jamal "we can talk about that more at home."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Jess spent the better part of Friday night at Heathrow. Evie's flight was late. Her older sister finally came through customs pulling a purple roll along and carrying a bright blue overnight bag.

"If I had known you were going to be this late," complained Jess in a teasing voice "I would have accepted Becker's dinner invitation."

"Becker?" replied Evie vaguely.

Evie was tired after her long journey, but she tried to remember the names of her sister's coworkers.

"Is that the cute guy you like," asked Evie "or the one you think is probably gay?"

"The cute one!"

"I want to hear all about him," said Evie as they headed home.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Becker pressed the down arrow on his cell phones address book search until he came to the letter R. He selected it, then down arrowed again until he reached Tom's number. He selected that, and then listened to the phone ring.

"Hey Becker," said Tom Ryan. "How are things going in London?"

The two men chatted a while, catching up. It had been over two months since they had talked to each other. Ryan was very pleased to hear that their mutual friends had returned safely home. Finally though, Becker got to the real reason for his call.

"Tom," Becker asked "what was the name of that restaurant you and Anne always raved about?"

In Surrey, the ARCs former chief of security smiled. So someone had finally managed to get past Becker's shielded exterior.

"What's she like?" asked Tom.

"Who?" replied Becker, instantly on guard.

"The woman you want to take to La Trattoria," chuckled Tom. "Tell me all about her."

Becker didn't stop talking for a very long while.

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

Danny and Stephen were walking down the corridor towards the car park. Their heads were together and they were talking quietly. Percy was trailing along behind them. Abby and Connor followed more slowly further behind.

Everyone else had already left the building. Danny had offered to drive Stephen, Abby and Connor to the flat, but they had to wait for the corpsman to return with Connor's crutches before they could leave.

Danny spoke in a hushed tone to Stephen.

"Connor's got that black cell phone," said Danny. "Sarah was right about that."

"Which means the blue cell phone we found," agreed Stephen "belonged to a different Connor."

They stopped walking and continued speaking in low tones. Percy stepped closer to Danny and Stephen. He'd only heard some of what they said, and that was impossible.

"Have you got some sort of hero complex?" asked Percy "How can you find anyone… lost in all of time?"

Danny tilted his head sideways and gave the smaller man a cocky grin.

"We can find anyone," declared Danny with confidence.

Percy looked from the tall red-haired man to Stephen standing next to him. Danny Quinn was the man who had forced his way into the team, took on a g-rex, returned from who knows when and literally brought a man back from the dead. Percy trembled with a sudden hope.

"Can you help me," Percy whispered, "there is someone I need to find."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_

"Abby," hissed Connor as he hobbled down the corridor on his crutches.

"What?" asked Abby.

She stopped walking and turned to look at him. Danny, Stephen and Percy continued moving further down the corridor. Abby leaned back against the wall, waiting for Connor to catch up. As Connor reached her, Abby glanced down the corridor to see that Danny, Stephen and Percy appeared to have stopped to talk also.

"Stephen has been using the empty bedroom," said Connor.

He slumped a bit, loosening his hold on the crutches. Then he leaned against the wall next to her letting the wall support him.

"I'm guessing Stephen means the room I had before Jack arrived."

"Yeah? Your point?"

"So, I was wondering…," said Connor "when we get home..."

He looked at Abby out of the corner of his eyes. Connor wouldn't assume anything. He wished he knew a better way to go about asking what he really… really… needed to know. Connor took a deep breath and just blurted his question out.

"Where am I going to sleep?"

Abby's eyes opened wide. And then she stepped away from the wall and turned to face him. She put one hand on either side of his head leaning her weight against the wall, bringing her face right next to his.

"Connor," said Abby "for a genius… you're incredibly thick sometimes."

"What?"

"You're sleeping with me."

His arms wrapped around her, pulling her closer.

"I was hoping you would say that," whispered Connor as she brought her lips to meet his.

"Let's go home."

_-x-x-x-x-x-x_


End file.
